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00:00Give it a go and you might see something that's going to be amazing.
00:05OK.
00:06Oh, wow, OK.
00:08It's the oh, wow moment.
00:10There's an oh, wow moment at every star party.
00:13Oh, you've got it, though. Oh, my goodness.
00:48Well, the sun may have gone down, but we've timed this just right.
00:52Because we're in the North York Moors, at the heart of one of the UK's dark sky reserves.
00:58And at this time of year, it placed centre stage to the dazzling North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales Dark
01:04Skies Festival.
01:05And while everyone else is off to bed, we're here to experience the dark skies in all its glory.
01:12And see nature after dark.
01:14So let's hope the weather's kind and the skies get a little bit clearer.
01:20The North York Moors is one of seven dark sky reserves in the UK, offering some of the finest stargazing.
01:28Everyone is encouraged to keep light pollution low, allowing the night sky to shine and nocturnal wildlife to thrive.
01:37And the Dark Skies Festival offers a unique chance to experience it all.
01:42How long have you been excited about doing the night walk?
01:45Quite a few days.
01:46The days. And what else do you think you might see?
01:49Maybe a hedgehog.
01:50Yeah, that would be fantastic.
01:53So if you want to do that for real, I'll need to turn all the lights off.
01:56Let's go into dark mode.
01:57OK.
02:00It is so really dark and it's actually quite nice, isn't it?
02:04It is.
02:04And as the sun rises, Adam's meeting young apprentices used to getting up at the crack of dawn.
02:12Looks like you've got a sweat on, Charlie.
02:13I'm working hard.
02:15He's only 16 years old and he's really putting in a lot of effort.
02:19He's confident.
02:20I can just see how this experience will set him up for life.
02:32As the sun goes down and most of us start thinking about heading to bed,
02:37a whole new world is coming to life as our nocturnal animals begin their night shift.
02:43But too much artificial light can put their hunting, feeding and survival skills at risk,
02:49making them vulnerable to predators.
02:53True dark skies are rare, with only a few of us living beneath them.
02:58But at Danby Lodge National Park Centre, one group is working to highlight this issue
03:03with night walks during the Dark Skies Festival.
03:07Led by ReConnect's Outdoor Learning Officer Jonathan Green
03:11and North York Moors National Park Authority Senior Ecologist Elspeth Ingleby,
03:16the aim is to reveal the extraordinary world that emerges after dark
03:21and engage the community across the moors.
03:25Elspeth Jonathan, lovely to see you.
03:26Hi there.
03:27It's really important to inspire people that there are actually things that go on when we switch the lights off.
03:32We see so much artificial light now out because we need it in order to be able to see.
03:37But actually a lot of our creatures that are out and about, they're not used to it.
03:41They want it to be completely dark because that's what they rely on.
03:43So they're having to adapt to this new world that we're creating for them.
03:47And what do you hope to achieve from taking the families out tonight?
03:51We're just going to hope that people become inspired to keep the lights off,
03:56to understand that actually unnatural light can have a terrible impact upon the natural world.
04:01and we only really need light exactly where we need it.
04:05As night approaches, so do the families, bringing with them anticipation.
04:12How long have you been excited about doing the night walk?
04:16Quite a few days.
04:17The days? Days of excitement?
04:19Yeah, it's been really looking forward to it.
04:22What do you like about being outdoors?
04:25You can see all different kinds of nocturnal creatures.
04:28And what else do you think you might see?
04:30Maybe a hedgehog?
04:32We could, yeah. That would be fantastic.
04:37Darkness has fallen.
04:40Right then, folks, come on out.
04:42And everybody is issued with red headlamps,
04:45which are kinder to nature as well as humans.
04:49We're not going to use the white light, OK?
04:52The reason for that is that white light can really affect our night vision.
04:56Our pupils contract and it takes a good while for them to go back out again, OK?
05:02Right, if we're all ready to go, let's make a start, shall we?
05:09We're heading into the deep, dark woods of the North York Moors.
05:15So why have animals evolved to be nocturnal?
05:18Mainly for safety.
05:20They can hide a lot easier when it's dark.
05:22And it means that they don't get eaten.
05:25However, saying that, a lot of animals have actually evolved nocturnal instincts
05:29so that they can go hunting and not be seen whilst they're hunting as well.
05:33And what proportion of animals are nocturnal?
05:36The majority, really.
05:38So the vast majority of invertebrates, but also most of our mammals,
05:4270% of our mammals pretty much are nocturnal.
05:44So actually most things are coming out just as we're going to bed.
05:47And what's the impact of light pollution on animals?
05:53Well, effectively, it completely disrupts their typical patterns.
05:57So most of our wildlife is adapted to either be in the dark
06:00and therefore they'll respond to the moon when it's out or starlight,
06:05but also really adapt to that very high level of darkness.
06:09If we have artificial light, they're going, what is this?
06:13Is it daylight?
06:14Is it the moon that completely changes their behaviour patterns?
06:18And darkness is really important for us too.
06:20If you're exposed to lots of artificial light,
06:23it can really affect your health and wellbeing.
06:25So actually getting familiar and used to being in darkness again
06:28is really important to us as human beings.
06:32Our night-time adventure begins at the woodland floor.
06:37Ooh, this looks very pretty.
06:40Wow, what have we got?
06:42We do, of course, have lots and lots of snowdrops.
06:44And as we all know, flowers are pollinated by insects
06:47and we often think of bees doing that,
06:50which, of course, they do and they do an amazing job of it.
06:52But we also get moths and we do get nocturnal insects
06:55that pollinate as well.
06:57So white flowers aren't particularly bright and exciting to a bee during the daytime,
07:01but they do stand out really, really well at night.
07:04So it's probably going to have flies and other things all coming in
07:08and starting to pollinate these species.
07:12Another important feature of the forest floor
07:14is the dead wood left behind from fallen trees.
07:19Just because this tree's died doesn't mean it's dead.
07:22Actually, there's a huge amount of life in here.
07:25It's absolutely thriving like a skyscraper of insects and bugs
07:29and fungi and other things.
07:32And the wood life, this is their job,
07:35is actually to recycle this entire log and they'll eat it all up.
07:39And they're one of the few creatures that can actually do it.
07:42Well, these are our natural recyclers.
07:44If it wasn't those little creatures doing this job,
07:47logs would sit here for a very, very long time before they're biodegraded.
07:50They would also not necessarily go straight back into the soil.
07:54The nutrients wouldn't be recycled.
07:56And they are food for lots of other animals as well,
07:59so they are food for certain types of spiders and beetles.
08:05And are they affected by extra light pollution?
08:08Not that the light harms them in any way
08:10or makes them more vulnerable to predation,
08:11but because they avoid it,
08:13they just won't come out because they think it's daytime.
08:16And so they'll stay hidden away
08:18and maybe not utilising opportunities to forage and feed.
08:21So they won't grow so quickly.
08:23So we can make sure we're keeping artificial light
08:25away from shining on logs and trees and things like that.
08:28That'll help all of these animals to go about
08:31their normal night-to-night activity without any fear.
08:36Our woodlands are also the perfect hunting grounds
08:39for one of the greatest predators of the night sky,
08:42the barn owl.
08:44Glad we've got the torches.
08:47Right then, guys, come and gather round over here.
08:50There's a little bit of a flat area.
08:51Tony found an owl pellet.
08:53Once an owl's had his dinner of mice or voles or shrews
08:57or even small birds,
08:59they gobble them up.
09:02But they can't digest the fur,
09:05the hair and the feathers or the bones.
09:08So just like a cat spits out a hairball,
09:10an owl spits out a pellet.
09:14And it's not just owls that do it as well.
09:15Lots of birds of prey do it.
09:17You can see all of these teeny tiny animal bones.
09:21So that's a little jaw bone from a little mouse
09:24or from a little vole.
09:26We know it's from a rodent, though,
09:27because these yellow teeth at the front,
09:29they don't stop growing.
09:30They continue to grow over and over again.
09:32We sometimes find little shrew bones,
09:34little shrew jaws,
09:36and they've got lots and lots of little teeth.
09:38Yesterday I saw a barn owl
09:40on the end of the street
09:43where they were coming over my head.
09:45Oh, wow, you're so lucky.
09:47Isn't it amazing when you see a barn owl, though?
09:50They're so magical, aren't they?
09:51They're absolutely beautiful.
09:53How can we better look after our nocturnal animals?
09:56I think that as long as we're providing space for nature
09:59and making sure there's loads of wild bits of our garden
10:03and wild bits of the environment
10:04so that they can have plenty of food to eat
10:06and places to hunt
10:08and we're not filling the environment with the unnatural light,
10:13I think that's going to be a start.
10:14Do you reckon we can find a way to get on together?
10:16Oh, I think that we can.
10:17What do you guys think?
10:18Yay!
10:33Across the North York moors,
10:35another dark skies festival hotspot is Sutton Bank.
10:39Here, the teams are working together to protect this rare sight
10:43by changing just one thing, lights.
10:47We've all done it, looked up to the stars on a clear night.
10:51It's something that connects us all,
10:53but light pollution is threatening to take that away from us.
11:00Mike Houghton is the dark skies project lead.
11:03He's got his work cut out for him,
11:06tackling light pollution one bulb at a time.
11:11So, where are we right now?
11:13So, we're at the southern edge of the North York moors National Park,
11:16International Dark Sky Reserve,
11:17and we're looking west towards Firsk,
11:20towards the Yorkshire Dales.
11:21It's a fantastic view during the day,
11:23but at night, as we're looking at it now,
11:25we're starting to see quite a lot of light pollution,
11:27which totally changes the landscape
11:28and is quite worrying for us.
11:30Who does light pollution affect?
11:31Light pollution affects everybody and every living thing,
11:33from pollinators to bats to birds,
11:37right the way at the food chain.
11:38What are the biggest causes of this light pollution?
11:40Well, first of all, we're really high up.
11:41If we can see light from here, shining at us,
11:45then it's really poorly angled light,
11:47creating sky glow, glare, light spill.
11:49Second, the colour temperature of the light.
11:51Blue-white LED light is the light that's most harmful
11:54to humans and to wildlife,
11:56because it mimics daylight
11:57and it affects our natural sleep-wake cycles,
12:00what we call our circadian rhythms.
12:01And what if we don't change the way that we're doing things?
12:07What will that look like in, say, 10 years' time?
12:10Places like dark sky reserves,
12:12they're the only places you can go to enjoy a truly dark sky.
12:16Those precious areas are getting more precious and rarer.
12:20A child born today who can see 250 stars from where they live,
12:24at the current rate of increase in light pollution,
12:27will only see 100 stars by the time they're 18.
12:29That's really sad,
12:30because I can remember as a child being brought up in, you know,
12:33the middle of nowhere in the Scottish borders,
12:35going out and just seeing a beautiful, clear sky
12:38and obviously clearly quite privileged to be able to see that.
12:41Yeah, and that's what people come to national parks for,
12:43you know, to experience that and that jaw-dropping wow moment.
12:47So how do you monitor the skies?
12:48So we have satellite imagery
12:50and then we've got a bunch of intrepid volunteers
12:52who go out at wee small hours of the morning taking those readings.
12:57Mike is taking me to Sutton Bank Star Observation Hub
13:00to meet volunteers David and Nigel,
13:03who work through the night to collect this data.
13:06So tell me a little bit about what you guys do.
13:09Why do you go out in the wee small hours, freezing cold?
13:12It's the stars.
13:13Yeah?
13:13They just draw you out.
13:15It's just something really special.
13:17It's so awe-inspiring when you see the whole of the night sky above you
13:20and the Milky Way.
13:22And wildlife as well.
13:23You know, I park up in the middle of the woods sometimes
13:25and deer will just walk past the car.
13:27Oh, wow.
13:28And, you know, you'll get out and you'll hear the owl screeching.
13:30It's just a different world, you know.
13:32It's one that most people don't see,
13:33but it's so important that we keep it and improve it.
13:36Yeah, so how are you doing that?
13:37Well, we have to go out and survey the whole of the park
13:40with these sky quality meters.
13:42OK.
13:43To do that for real, we'll need to turn all the lights off.
13:45Let's go into dark mode.
13:47OK.
13:48The camera crew switched to using an infrared night camera
13:52to film us in the darkness.
13:54So I just have to see it in the dark and take it
13:58and then just point it up to the sky.
13:59Point it straight up.
14:00So it's really, really sensitive.
14:02It'll pick up any amount of light.
14:04So that's why we need to be in really dark conditions
14:06to get these readings.
14:07So I've got 20.3, is that good?
14:09We're normally hoping for 21.2 or above
14:12as an international dark sky reserve.
14:14But we've got fairly low cloud today.
14:16We can see the odd car coming past.
14:18We can see a little bit of sky glow over there.
14:21It is still really dark
14:22and it's actually quite nice, isn't it?
14:24Yeah, it is.
14:25This data is then combined with satellite information
14:28to form an accurate light pollution map of the UK.
14:32Where you see the yellow and even the red areas
14:34is the very worst light pollution.
14:37What we don't want is Scarborough and Whitley light pollution
14:39to get worse or along the A170 at the bottom.
14:42It will, in effect, shrink the dark skies area
14:45of the National Park.
14:46So how are you helping, like, some of these areas
14:48become dark sky areas?
14:51So we do a lot of work with communities
14:53within the North York Moores National Park,
14:55encouraging them to think about how they use their light.
14:57So the mantra is only, like, what you need,
15:00when you need it, and at a level that's suitable to that need.
15:03The problem isn't light itself.
15:05It's how we use it.
15:07Brighter doesn't always mean better.
15:10So this is an example of an early LED light.
15:13You can see how bright that is, how blue-white it is.
15:16We see it in lots of farms.
15:17It's not shielded.
15:18It doesn't have any control over the light distribution.
15:21It's just indiscriminate.
15:22Best thing you can do is just tilt it down
15:24and then switch it off when you don't need it.
15:26But it's still not the right colour temperature.
15:28If we then look at a dark sky-friendly light...
15:31Oh, yeah. It's so much warmer, isn't it?
15:33But it's also down.
15:34Yeah.
15:34There's no light going above the horizontal there.
15:37I can feel the difference in my eyes.
15:39It's like the last one.
15:39You can feel almost that pain of, like,
15:41oh, that's really bright.
15:42We all need light as humans.
15:43It's just using that light sensitively and responsibly.
15:49Some of the brightest places in rural Britain
15:51aren't just villages or towns.
15:53They can also be farms.
15:56In nearby Bransdale,
15:58some hill farmers have day jobs to help make ends meet
16:01before tending to their livestock at night.
16:05So Mike and his team are hoping to help farmers Kat and Adrian Dousland
16:09change how they light their land.
16:13The lights that are on are quite bright
16:15and I think given that we do quite a bit of farming at night,
16:19especially through winter and through lambing season,
16:22the lights are on for a longer stock period.
16:23We have a few bats in the sheds and owls
16:26and I think the glare naturally going across
16:29actually will be affecting the wildlife that we have on the farm as well.
16:32And hopefully if we get the lighting right,
16:33it supports that, but it allows you to operate
16:36and do what you need to do at night.
16:37We want to encourage them.
16:38We don't want to sort of scare them off.
16:40Where would you like to start?
16:41Well, I think we'll start at the horse area.
16:46So we're bringing the shires in as late as possible
16:49to wash their legs off.
16:51Keen to sort of try and get something that'll pinpoint to the ground
16:53so we can actually sort of see what we're washing off.
16:57So rather than lots of glare really high up,
17:01does that give you the sort of light that you're looking for?
17:03Yeah, a lot better.
17:04So there's no shadow, it's fixed on where we're looking.
17:07It's in the working area, isn't it?
17:08Yeah, where we need to be.
17:09So yeah, that's a good starting point, definitely.
17:14What is that light trying to do for you?
17:16It's basically lighting this area
17:18for us to be backwards and forwards,
17:20carrying feed, moving livestock.
17:23You think it's lit up because it's light,
17:24but actually you get that glare,
17:26so when you're walking you're actually looking at the ground
17:28because you can't see in front of you.
17:34Straight away, that's a lot more powerful.
17:36You know, you can see that warm white,
17:37it's still what we class as a dark sky friendly light
17:40because you've got no light going above the horizontal.
17:43What are your thoughts now on that light?
17:44I mean, definitely a lot more coverage over the yard.
17:46Yeah, it's definitely a lot better.
17:48So we'll maybe remove the real glaring one that was there
17:50so we can get it right for the yard
17:52and we can get it right inside and we've cracked it.
17:54It could very well work though, yeah.
17:56You can see the benefits all around, can't you,
17:58and how it's going to affect obviously us working,
18:01livestock and the environment.
18:06Even in our most remote landscapes,
18:08like the North York moors,
18:10darkness can't be taken for granted.
18:13But if all goes to plan,
18:15Mike hopes that dark sky friendly lighting
18:17will be rolled out across the country,
18:20helping to reduce light pollution
18:21and support local wildlife.
18:34As farm lights are turned off for the night,
18:37the day is just beginning for Adam,
18:39who's at Craven Cattle Mart in Skipton.
18:42While the sun is just rising over the Yorkshire moors,
18:45many people at home will be reaching for their first cuppa.
18:49But here, livestock lorries and trailers are arriving,
18:52stock is being unloaded and work is well underway.
18:59Craven Cattle Mart has a long trading history,
19:01dating back 130 years,
19:04a true cornerstone of rural life here in North Yorkshire.
19:09Today, alongside the auctioneers and farmers,
19:11a new generation is learning the trade
19:14and soaking up everything this important environment can teach them
19:18about farming and working life.
19:23Rebecca,
19:25Charlie,
19:27Joe,
19:29and Tom are general farm worker apprentices from Craven College,
19:35spending two days a week here,
19:37putting in a full shift to gain hands-on experience,
19:41with their day starting long before any college lectures begin.
19:47Morning, Charlie.
19:48Morning.
19:49I understand you're one of the new apprentices.
19:51I am indeed.
19:52So what are you doing here, just dusting up the pens?
19:53Just dusting up the pens.
19:54It's just to keep the animals clean as they come in.
19:57For you, getting up early in the morning, is that a problem?
20:00No.
20:00Because, you know, it's an early start, isn't it?
20:01No bother, straight out of bed, eh?
20:03Are you?
20:03Always.
20:04Now, are you plenty of 16-year-olds still alive with a head on the pillow?
20:07Oh, there will be, there will be.
20:08You should always get up and be raring to go.
20:10Gee, you've got to be passionate about what you do.
20:12Yeah.
20:12So you from a farming background?
20:14No, not one bit.
20:15None of my family are farmers at all.
20:16So what got you into it?
20:18You just see all these people doing little bailing and lambing sheep,
20:21and you just see all the chapters driving about,
20:23and I thought, just wanted to give it a go and see what happens.
20:27And what's the dream?
20:28What's the goal?
20:29Have a nice big farm in Scotland, eh?
20:31Wow, you've got big dreams.
20:32You've got to.
20:33You've got to dream big when you're in this game.
20:34What would you have, sheep or cattle?
20:35Cattle, by a mile.
20:36Would you?
20:37Maybe get some big highland cattle.
20:39No, no, some nice beef Angus cattle.
20:41Would you?
20:42Proper meat cows.
20:43They have nice, good, strong calves.
20:44You can fatten them well, and they're just nice and tidy to work with.
20:47Yeah, sure.
20:48There's lots of lovely sheep running off the trailer there.
20:50Why don't you like sheep?
20:52They're just not the easiest things to work with.
20:54Lambing when it's snowing and you've got to catch them,
20:56they're not just the nicest things.
20:58You'd much prefer to stick with cattle.
20:59By a mile, by a mile.
21:01I'm a sheep man, you see.
21:02Oh, I wouldn't go near him if I had to.
21:06Well, there's plenty more sheep that need to come in off the docks today.
21:11Go on, lads.
21:12Go on, lads.
21:15Do you count in ones or twos?
21:16I count in twos.
21:17Yeah, yeah.
21:19For those with big farming dreams like Tom,
21:22the market isn't a place to count sheep to fall asleep.
21:27Go on, lads.
21:29It's a place to count the learning opportunity every shift brings.
21:34So how long have you been doing this then, Tom?
21:36About 18 months, I think.
21:38And in your time here, have you had any mess-ups?
21:40You've got things wrong?
21:41There's definitely been a few notable ones.
21:43I remember one time we had a cow out in the car park.
21:45Oh, did you?
21:46That's definitely not our best moment.
21:48But working here, you learn.
21:50There's all the things, so you learn how to avoid it.
21:53And any proud moments?
21:54Oh, plenty.
21:55Like selling us old lands and stuff.
21:57Well, I mean, my grandad fetches all of them here as a sheep farmer.
22:00So that's always a great feeling to go through the ring with our own stock.
22:04You're obviously in college as well,
22:06but what sort of practical skills have you learned here?
22:09Well, when I first came, the first time in Ireland, I would admit,
22:11I was fairly shy, you know.
22:13You didn't want to mess up in front of all these people
22:14because they all know my family.
22:16And it's a lot of responsibility, really.
22:18So I've definitely come round from when I started.
22:20So you've really matured and grown into yourself?
22:21I feel so, yeah.
22:24With fewer young people finding a way into farming and rural jobs,
22:28Craven Cattlemart joined forces with a local college in 2023
22:32to open a new type of apprenticeship scheme.
22:35And tutor Graham Taylor sees the difference it's making every day.
22:39With the apprentices, how often are they in college or out at work?
22:43They come into college once a fortnight.
22:45OK.
22:45And then the rest of the time they're on farm placements.
22:48And in the market environment,
22:50what sort of skills are they learning that they wouldn't out on the farm?
22:52Well, I'd say, like, definitely animal welfare.
22:55They learn a little bit about farm records
22:57because they have to collect licences.
22:59I say the biggest thing, I think,
23:00is the communication and working alongside other people.
23:03Because often they could be in a farming environment
23:05with just one employer and maybe nobody else.
23:11Today's auctions include ewes with lambs at foot,
23:16rearing calves and prime sheep.
23:20There we go.
23:21Holding you up.
23:22Go on then, lambs.
23:23Go on.
23:24It's Rebecca's job to make sure every lot is present and correct
23:28before entering the sale ring.
23:31Well, it's just like a chain of animals running past
23:35and you're keeping an eye on them all.
23:36Yeah.
23:37So what have you got there?
23:38It's a list of everyone that's come in today,
23:41how many they've got,
23:42and if they've got any, like, sorting preferences
23:45or anything that they want doing.
23:46It's got a few different breeds coming through.
23:48Yeah, we have a lot of variety.
23:50We have a lot of mules
23:52and got a lot of scotty black faces,
23:54some weeks and others.
23:55Some good quality animals.
23:57Yeah.
23:58You can see that a lot of people take pride
24:01in their animals.
24:02Yeah, sure.
24:12Over here, these lambs are absolutely tremendous,
24:15incredible conformation.
24:17They look like Beltec's Texel crosses
24:20with great big back ends and big thick backs.
24:24They'd probably weigh 50, 55 kilos
24:27and sell extremely well, I expect.
24:30Maybe 160 quid.
24:34As one of Northern England's busiest markets,
24:37handling more than a quarter of a million livestock each year,
24:41apprentices quickly learn what quality looks like
24:45and how to group sheep into sale lots
24:47ready to go under the hammer.
24:51How are you selecting them?
24:53Just on size?
24:53Just on size and shaping the meat quantity more than anything.
24:57Yeah.
24:58I want the ones with the best meat with me.
25:00And that's because they'll be put into separate pens for the buyers?
25:04When we're selling to make it fairest on the farmer and the buyer.
25:06Yeah.
25:07Certainly learn your stock.
25:08Just another skill to have, isn't it?
25:09Yeah.
25:11175, a little bit of 70 for 70.
25:12170 bin, 1, 2, 72 bin, 4, 74, 6, 76 pounds, 6, 8.
25:19And up here you can see why teamwork and timing is so important.
25:23Behind the scenes, the apprentices are getting their livestock in
25:27with care and speed.
25:29And over there, Ted, the auctioneer, is driving the chance.
25:34And of course, for the farmer, the stakes are real.
25:37Their money's on the line, so it's important to get it right.
25:401, 4, 8, 3, go.
25:424, 8, 4, 8, go.
25:44Towelers, number of...
25:47Ted, it's pretty fast-paced, isn't it?
25:49Oh, mark it, they is.
25:50They can have 150 to 200 vendors turning up the sheep.
25:54So, you know, there's a lot of pressure on these young'uns
25:56to keep the sheep coming at the auctioneer,
25:58keep the sheep going out of the ring and putting the right pens.
26:00So the work of the apprentices is fairly critical to what you're doing?
26:03It is.
26:04They're customer-facing.
26:05You know, they are the first point of contact
26:07when a farmer turns up on the dock in the morning.
26:09Yeah, how many you got in?
26:10Only ten.
26:14Joe.
26:15So I just saw you talking to the farmer just now.
26:18Yeah.
26:19Is that important that you can meet farmers while you're out here working?
26:21Yeah, it is, yeah.
26:23Get your name out there.
26:24And is it likely that someone like that would give you work in the future?
26:27Yeah.
26:28Yeah, who I'm talking to does give me work.
26:31Last year, Joe's big brother, Harvey, along with fellow apprentice Ellen,
26:36became the very first to graduate from the programme
26:38and continued into employment across the land-based sector.
26:41Ellen, I don't want to disturb you too much because you're very busy,
26:44but what are you doing here?
26:45What's your job?
26:45So basically, this reads all the individual tags that all the sheep have.
26:49They've all got their own individual numbers.
26:51So as they run up, they scan the lamb and the mum,
26:54and then it all goes onto the system.
26:56How hard has it been finding work as a young woman in farming?
26:59It's difficult, to be fair, because a lot of people,
27:02it's always still the big thing around, oh, it's the man's world.
27:05Especially if you come from a non-farming background and want to get into it.
27:08From working here, it helps a lot,
27:10because I've met people here that have gone on to help me find other jobs
27:15or work for them.
27:16So I currently work on three different farms,
27:18one being dairy, one sheep, and then one cattle and sheep as well,
27:21and calf rearing as well.
27:23It's different, it's something different every day.
27:25It's never the same thing that goes on.
27:27You love it?
27:28I love it.
27:29I wouldn't change it for the world.
27:32I can really see how the apprenticeship here
27:34is a gateway to the world of proper work,
27:38gaining real experience and practical skills.
27:42Exactly what Charlie's doing.
27:45So where would these calves have come from then, Charlie?
27:48Come from any big dairy farms that are taking the cows off the calves,
27:51and then some of these big buyers will buy them and fatten them
27:54and put them in stock sales.
27:55They're just pretty much the middle man.
28:01Looks like you've got a sweat on, Charlie.
28:03I'm working hard.
28:04He's only 16 years old, and he's really putting in a lot of effort.
28:08Completely gets the market system, he's confident.
28:11I can just see how this experience will set him up for life.
28:15From the first trailer at dawn,
28:17to the final strike of the gavel...
28:19Two, go, boo.
28:21This is how experience is built,
28:24one early start at a time.
28:27And in farming, there are plenty of those to go around.
28:37As the gates of the livestock market close,
28:40I'm over in the east of the county
28:42to see how our nocturnal wildlife cope
28:44when light pollution hits.
28:54Once, darkness protected our countryside.
28:57But as our nights grow brighter,
28:59the effects on our wildlife
29:01means that it's being pushed into unfamiliar
29:04and often dangerous territory.
29:06And here at Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary,
29:08those changes are showing up at the door.
29:12Founder Alexandra Smith has spent more than 16 years
29:16caring for injured wildlife
29:18and often sees firsthand
29:20how our brighter night skies can affect them.
29:24Who do we have here, Alex?
29:26Hello.
29:26So, this is one of our barn owl patients
29:29we have in at the moment.
29:30He was hunting alongside a busy road
29:33and was hit at night.
29:35And how is he doing?
29:36What's the prognosis?
29:37He's doing OK.
29:38He's had his wings strapped for a couple of weeks now
29:40and we're going to be removing the strappings today
29:42and redoing it and see how that wing is peeling.
29:46Road traffic accidents we see quite commonly
29:48with birds of prey, owls in particular.
29:50And is that due to light pollution or...?
29:53Yeah, we found that a lot of birds of prey,
29:56like owls, for example,
29:57are doing more hunting in areas
30:00where there is light pollution,
30:01so roadsides and verges.
30:04And the reason for that is their prey
30:07is more attracted to these areas
30:08because the vegetation and the insects the prey eat
30:11are attracted to these areas.
30:13Road verges are well-lit and warmer,
30:16and natural light attracts insects,
30:18which will attract the prey.
30:20So, that's where the owls will follow.
30:22So, they end up hunting in areas not suitable,
30:25and this is what leads them into danger,
30:27and this is how they end up getting struck by cars.
30:30So, I've just took that old strapping off
30:32and I just want to see how that wing is feeling.
30:34What do you think? How's it looking?
30:35It's not bad. It's pretty good, actually.
30:39It is going to need a re-strap, which I'll do for him,
30:42and then I'll pop him back in there.
30:44He'll have had enough.
30:45Hopefully, in a couple more weeks,
30:46I'll be able to move him out to our Barnau flight
30:48so we can start practising and exercising that wing.
30:51So, it's a process.
30:52There's quite a few steps to take
30:54before they're fit enough to go back out.
30:55And how long would that roughly take for this little one?
30:58On average, each wildlife casualty is here
31:02maybe about a month before they're able to be released.
31:05So, when we're taking in around 3,000 a year,
31:09that's like you need a lot of space.
31:13The sanctuary currently houses more than 300 injured animals,
31:17including one of the UK's most vulnerable nocturnal creatures.
31:22So, we are inside our small mammals' cabin,
31:24which is used mostly for our hedgehogs.
31:27Every single day, all these hedgehogs are cleaned out daily.
31:31So, a number of our volunteers have already been in,
31:33done most of these hedgehogs.
31:34We've still got just a few to do in this cabin.
31:36These hedgehogs only get handled during cleaning
31:39and when we need to get their cages topped up
31:42with fresh food and water
31:43and if they're being assessed for any of their injuries.
31:46When you reach in, just use your hands
31:47to cup around the hedgehog and lift him up into a ball,
31:50and he should be compliant.
31:55He knows what he's doing.
31:57Oh, my goodness.
31:59Nice and firm, round.
32:01Hi, little one.
32:03That's it.
32:04Rolled into a ball
32:04and then we want to move quickly to the box there.
32:08Perfect.
32:09Lovely.
32:10And then we'll pop him down in the box.
32:13Lovely.
32:13So, clean box for him and he can be in there
32:19whilst I'm cleaning out his cage.
32:22Cleaning out of the hedgehogs is fairly straightforward.
32:25It's just quite time-consuming.
32:27We've got about 30 hedgehogs here at the moment,
32:29so it does take up quite a big chunk of the day.
32:32Is that an average number or is that quite high?
32:34It's actually low.
32:36I mean, we all know the hedgehog is a declining species in the UK
32:39and struggling.
32:40There's a number of reasons why the hedgehog population is declining.
32:43Habitat loss is certainly a really big one.
32:46With habitat loss, it's brought more housing,
32:49which brings all its own hazards and difficulties for hedgehogs,
32:53light pollution included.
32:55And is there anything we can do in the spaces that we inhabit,
32:58whether that's town, country,
33:00to look after these little ones a bit more?
33:01If we're considering light pollution specifically,
33:04something as simple as just making sure
33:06your gardens are nice and dark at night.
33:08Turn your garden lights off.
33:10Not just for hedgehogs, but animals like bats as well.
33:13Little changes like that can have a really big impact.
33:16This one's having a really good explore.
33:18Yes, I think he's probably ready to go back in
33:20and get back into that nest.
33:21So, it's just confidently and quickly.
33:24There we go.
33:25You've got a firm grip around his body.
33:27Perfect.
33:28Lovely.
33:31And you're back.
33:32There we go.
33:34It's not just small animals in the sanctuary's care.
33:38Alex is also looking after two roe deer,
33:41one who was affected by artificial lights.
33:45So, what have we got here?
33:47So, this is Gino and Buck,
33:51our two young deer that are going to be released this evening.
33:55And how did they end up here?
33:57Gino, she was found as a collapsed newborn fawn,
34:02very dehydrated in a really poor way.
34:04It was very touch and go in the beginning.
34:05And Buck came in just a little bit later
34:08as a fawn that got hit by a car, dusk time.
34:12And is that a common injury for deers that end up with you here?
34:16Very common.
34:17Deer are often quite active at night, at dusk, at dawn.
34:21Traffic can be quite confusing to them.
34:24Artificial lighting and traffic lights,
34:27bright lights can be confusing and dazzling to them.
34:30So, we do see a lot of traffic accidents coming here.
34:33Unfortunately, for many deer, it isn't a good ending,
34:37which is what makes cases like Buck even more successful and happy
34:42because it's lovely to see the ones that do make it through.
34:45So, what's the plan for them today, Alex?
34:47So, they're ready to go.
34:49And we've got our release site ready and crates ready.
34:51And they're very fit, healthy deer.
34:54What does it take to get these two back into their natural habitat?
34:58There's a small team of us that will be going in with blankets.
35:01We're going to be trying to get them covered over, keep them calm,
35:05get them crated up, hopefully swiftly and smoothly
35:08to keep them as stress-free as possible.
35:12Dusk is approaching, which is the deer's most active time of day.
35:16It's crucial they're caught and released during this time
35:19to help them settle in to their new surroundings.
35:23I'm sorry, darlings.
35:24You're going to love it, though, I promise.
35:27Nice and quick, well done.
35:29Yeah, cover the whole crate.
35:35All right, stand.
35:37With Gino and Buck safely caught,
35:40the race is on to get them to their new home before nightfall.
35:44All right.
35:53Over the past 50 years, deer numbers have risen sharply.
35:58That means releasing them back into the wild
36:00has to be agreed with the landowner,
36:03as many estates actively manage their deer populations.
36:07Last year, an estimated 350,000 deer were culled across the UK.
36:14So it's vital that Gino and Buck are released somewhere
36:18they won't add pressure to the local herd.
36:26They're not lice, are they?
36:27No, they're not.
36:28And there's two of them in here, so...
36:30OK.
36:32Well, you definitely wouldn't want to do this solo, would you?
36:34No.
36:35Team effort.
36:36But just here, do you think?
36:38OK.
36:39Right.
36:40I'm just going to check in front.
36:42Yeah.
36:43You just lift that up.
36:45I'm ready.
37:09But you can see they're just having a good look at their new landscape.
37:18And considering what they've just been through.
37:22Come on.
37:26They're very relaxed.
37:33I think someone's settling in quite nicely to their new home.
37:37Should probably leave them to it.
37:40As sometimes happens with rehabilitated animals,
37:43these two found themselves drawn back to the sanctuary.
37:48So instead, Alex is lining up a move to a wildlife park
37:52where they'll join an established herd
37:54with more room to roam and plenty of new friends.
38:04As the sun goes down,
38:06the lights of villages around the North York moors come on.
38:09But for some villages,
38:11the lights are different than others.
38:14Honby is one of the first dark skies villages in the UK,
38:18where locals have installed
38:20more than 80 night sky-friendly lights.
38:22By day, this village is a popular spot with photographers.
38:27But it's after dark that it really comes to life.
38:31I'm on my way to meet a local photographer
38:34who relies on these dark skies
38:35to capture some incredible sights.
38:40It's skies like these
38:42that draw people here each year
38:44for the North York Moors Dark Skies Festival
38:47and inspire photographers
38:49like local Brinton Darnell to capture them.
38:56So we're here in a dark sky area,
38:59which is so beautiful.
39:00It's a beautiful church and graveyard surroundings.
39:03Do you find it quite peaceful being here, taking photos?
39:05To begin with, it was quite scary.
39:07I can imagine that as well, yeah.
39:09I remember when I first started,
39:10there was one night I didn't even dare get out of the car.
39:12And slowly I just became less scared of the dark.
39:15So how did you get into photography?
39:17One of my best friends sold me his SLR camera.
39:21I used to practice in the backyard at my parents' house.
39:24I didn't even know how a camera worked
39:25and I just jumped straight in the deep end.
39:27It's just so rewarding.
39:28If you've got a crystal clear night,
39:30sometimes you might only get one night a month.
39:32I usually just pick the brightest star in the sky.
39:35Like, sometimes it's even a planet.
39:37And just sit in the dark part for an hour
39:39and just let your eyes adjust.
39:41Now we're in, you've got eyes like an owl.
39:43You do just naturally, like, adapt to it.
39:45It just takes time.
39:46You just learn over time to see in the dark.
39:48Yeah, just patience.
39:49What would be, like, the perfect night for you?
39:51Just dramatic conditions, really.
39:53I mean, I think probably one of my best memories
39:55was on the beach with a couple of friends.
39:57It was a Gemini's meteor shower
39:58and this bright green fire bulb
40:01basically just lit the whole sky up behind the clouds.
40:03And my friends actually ducked.
40:05Really?
40:05Because it was that intense.
40:07So what's your involvement with the Dark Sky Festival?
40:10I think it all started back in 2018
40:11when I ended the competition and won it
40:14with a photo of Whitby Lighthouse.
40:16Just catapulted from there.
40:17I got asked to show pieces in the Inspired by Gallery at Danby.
40:21And then I got into doing time-lapse and video
40:24and I did a time-lapse of Orion floating over the owl
40:28in Hornby Village.
40:29Oh, wow.
40:29And I just caught a bit of sky glow and a meteor.
40:33What does it mean to you to be involved in the festival?
40:36It gives me incentive to keep doing it, really.
40:38It's quite hard to motivate yourself sometimes
40:40to get out there when you're tired from physical work all day.
40:44But it's nice to be appreciated, the work to be appreciated.
40:46So if people are wanting to get a shot,
40:48what would be your, like, top tips for them?
40:50I'd spend more on a tripod than I would on a camera.
40:53You don't want the camera to move.
40:55And I would sort of advise just using, like, a short timer
40:58when you hit that button
40:59because you can cause a shake on the camera
41:01just from pressing it.
41:03Lens warmers are often needed,
41:05especially from doing, like, a sort of four- or five-hour time-lapse.
41:08It's not worse than, like, a lens slowly steaming up
41:10and you're not knowing about it
41:11and, yeah, ruining the whole night's work.
41:13And the less light pollution
41:14and the more you can capture from the sky.
41:17So it's pretty cloudy conditions tonight.
41:20There's no stars in the sky.
41:22Is it good to take photos like this?
41:23It's not ideal,
41:24but I suppose you have to treat each situation as it is
41:27and work with what you've got.
41:28So, you know, nights like tonight,
41:29you could do some super long exposures
41:31and get cloud movement.
41:34So, you're going to teach me how to be a photographer?
41:36Yeah, I think you've got work takes.
41:39Hmm.
41:40This is my first time.
41:42So, I'd always get the aperture as wide open as you can.
41:44And what does that change?
41:45It just changes the amount of light that the lens is allowing in.
41:49Turn the focus until you've got, you know, pin-sharp stars.
41:52OK.
41:53Do you want to have a go?
41:53Just turn it.
41:56See, I think that's sharp, but I bet it's not.
41:58That looks good to me.
41:59Yeah?
41:59Yeah.
42:00All right, we'll lock that in place.
42:02Just press down.
42:03Just, like, one push?
42:04Yeah, yeah, push it right in.
42:07And then when you hear that click, it means it's finished.
42:10It's done it.
42:10That exposure is four seconds long.
42:13Look at that.
42:14That looks actually not bad for a beginner.
42:17I think it's pretty good.
42:18It's kind of, like, a bit haunting, isn't it?
42:19It is, yeah.
42:20I mean, the foreground's just spot on.
42:23Do you think this will win an award?
42:24Just maybe.
42:32Well, cloudy conditions here tonight means not ideal for stargazing.
42:36But what does the weather hold for us all in the week to come?
42:39Here's your Countryfile forecast.
42:49Hello.
42:50Many of us have enjoyed some warm spring weather over the last week, and you'll be wondering
42:54if you've got more of the same in the week ahead.
42:57Not so much, as we'll see in just a moment.
42:59Today, though, has been decent.
43:00There's some cloud working in across England and Wales, but plenty of sunshine initially
43:04in the morning.
43:05Now, last week, we set the highest temperature of the year so far in all four home nations,
43:10but these temperatures, not that remarkable.
43:13They're still around three or four degrees away from the all-time March record, as toasty
43:17as they were.
43:18Now, overnight tonight, we've got a weak weather front that's pushing its way southwards
43:22and eastwards, bringing a lump of cloud, an odd spot of rain from that as it clears
43:25through.
43:25Could see a few fog patches towards south-east England, but some clearer skies will follow
43:30to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, and here is going to be a cold night
43:34with some patches of frost developing in rural areas.
43:37Now, the reason the weather's been fine over recent days is down to the Azores' high pressure,
43:41and that's been pushing its way into our shores.
43:44It's going to be with us for England and Wales again on Monday, bringing more fine weather.
43:48In fact, I think for most of us, it'll get off to a bright start, quite chilly for Scotland
43:52and Northern Ireland, and here we'll see the cloud thicken through the day.
43:55Ultimately, rain and some strong winds will push into the northwest of Scotland by the end
43:59of the day.
44:00The mildest weather will be across England and Wales, with temperatures in the warmest
44:04spots climbing up to about 16 Celsius, but feeling cooler, I think, in Scotland, given
44:09that cold start to the day and then the cloud coming over the top of that cold air.
44:13Now, heading into the middle part of the week, this low pressure well to the north of the
44:17UK pushes towards Norway.
44:19Why am I telling you about that?
44:21Well, once that's moved towards Norway, it will send a surge of cold air southwards right
44:26across the whole of the UK, dumping our temperatures.
44:29Now, that said, Tuesday will still be quite mild across the far south of England and Wales.
44:33We've got this weather front across central portions, bringing heavy rain, quite squally
44:38winds with that, and then behind that we'll see sunshine and blustery showers for Scotland
44:42and Northern Ireland.
44:43The winds could be strong enough to bring some localised disruption.
44:45You might see some speed restrictions on the Seven Crossing, for example, mild in the south,
44:50but turning colder through the day in the north, and colder still into Wednesday, cold
44:54enough for some hill snow to return to Scotland.
44:57Quite high up in the mountains, above 300 metres elevation, you might see several centimetres
45:01of snow building up.
45:02At lower elevations, you're more likely to see sleet showers or hailstorms.
45:07I think they're going to be quite widespread.
45:09Now, there will be some strong gusty winds that will really knock the edge off those temperatures,
45:12and the temperatures will be dropping below average for the time of year.
45:16So, it's going to feel a lot colder than it has done.
45:18I suppose in the sunshine, it will still feel okay.
45:20There's a bit of warmth, of course, in the sun at this time of the year.
45:23Now, heading into Thursday, the strongest winds will be feeding down the North Sea,
45:27and that means for northern and eastern Scotland, down the eastern coast of England.
45:31That's where you're most likely to come across showers, and again, plenty of those showers
45:35will have hail, maybe a little bit of sleet in.
45:38Sunshine towards the southwest, it turns cloudier later in the day for West Scotland
45:43and Northern Ireland as well.
45:44It will be another chilly day for March.
45:47We end the week with further changes in our weather patterns.
45:50As this next area of low pressure moves in off the Atlantic,
45:53the winds will start coming in more from a west or northwesterly direction,
45:56so it won't be quite as cold.
45:58Now, Friday, we'll see this band of rain push eastwards across all areas.
46:02Sunny spells and blustery showers follow,
46:04and again, there could be a bit of hail mixed in with some of those showers.
46:07Temperatures just coming up closer to average for the time of the year.
46:11So, this week, we'll see some big changes of weather turning cold for all of us midweek.
46:23Back on the North York Moors, we're discovering where protecting our dark skies matters.
46:30It's the stars.
46:31Yeah?
46:31They just draw you out.
46:33It's just something really special.
46:35It's so awe-inspiring.
46:36And what's lost when we don't?
46:38If we have artificial light, they're going, what is this?
46:42Is this daylight?
46:42Is it the moon?
46:43It completely changes their behaviour patterns.
46:47But it's not just wildlife that's affected.
46:50People working through the night need to adapt too.
46:59When darkness descends, most of us start winding down for the day.
47:04But for the RNLI crew at Whitby, that's when some of their toughest calls come in.
47:10Because as night falls over the Yorkshire coast, the sea becomes a far less predictable place.
47:17Richard Dowson is the station's coxswain, and he has worked with the RNLI for 23 years.
47:25His colleague, Leah Hunter, is a volunteer, who also runs her own surf school, and is training as a paramedic.
47:35We've got about 29 volunteers on the crew at the moment.
47:39We've got solicitors, we've got joiners.
47:41They can come from any walk of life to join us.
47:43We do train our own casualty carers, the RNLI.
47:46But if we do need somebody on a shout who's got that medical background or, you know, that ability, like
47:52Leah's training as a paramedic,
47:53having somebody with that background knowledge is absolutely essential.
47:57About 12 years ago, I witnessed a shout, a rowing boat had capsized, and I knew a few of the
48:03crew members at the time.
48:04I thought, it looks pretty cool what they're doing, and I want to try and be a part of that.
48:10So training's every week.
48:12We're going to go out this evening, we're going to take our man overboard dummy, also known as Fred,
48:17and then we're going to practice for the crew on recovering that casualty from the water with the added challenge
48:24of the darkness.
48:28It's very important we train in the dark.
48:30A lot of the shouts we get at night are quite similar to the ones we have during the day.
48:36But the darkness throws a whole other element into it that we've got to deal with.
48:41So be that, you know, keeping light into a minimum to utilise our night-time vision.
48:47We operate under red lights inside the vessel,
48:50and it can take up to 30 minutes for you to establish your kind of full night-time vision, really.
48:56Just getting a feel for the boat as well in the dark.
48:59You know, you can't always see the waves coming at you, switch-wise and buttons and things like that.
49:04You know, you can't always see them very well at night,
49:06so it's just kind of knowing where everything's situated on the boat.
49:11I've got Matt as a mechanic, but the mechanic on the board also does the communications.
49:16We have Leah, who's going to be on the helm,
49:19so she'll be getting instructions from myself and the navigator on our course and where we're going.
49:25We've got Max, who's going on the radar,
49:28because we can only see so far ahead of us with our night-time vision,
49:32and radar can see a lot, lot further.
49:33And then we've got Tom, who will be sat at the back at the navigator's position,
49:37and he'll ultimately be plotting a route to our location
49:41and then giving us the instruction on how to get there safely.
49:45Leah, this is our final leg.
49:47At this speed, we've got approximately two minutes to run,
49:49but I will start slowing you down just when we get to the final waypoint.
49:53If Tom and Max, if you can go on the deck,
49:56and Leah, if you can be the spotter with that searchlight we've got rigged starboard side there,
50:01all right, I'll operate the one on the upper steering position,
50:05and then once we've got eyes on,
50:08if you can then go on the lock and tackle, yeah, to hoist him out of the water, OK?
50:13Once out on deck, the team not only need to navigate the darkness,
50:18but the unpredictable seas and high winds.
50:21My overboard!
50:23Is that eyes on? Eyes on, got in.
50:26So we're directing the coxswain to the casualty in the water at the moment.
50:31And we're utilising the searchlight,
50:33and we'll keep eyes on them at all times,
50:36and then the coxswain will come up with a plan of action.
50:38All right, so, Tom, if you get the lines out from under here,
50:42all right, you're going to go on this forward clip.
50:44Max, you go on the aft one.
50:45We'll go for a rough weather recovery.
50:50Right, I'm clipped on.
50:51Clipped on?
50:52All right, undo the bottom rail then, Max.
50:54Yep.
50:55Just one metre away!
50:58Contact!
51:01That's OK, get him in the slings.
51:05OK!
51:06Right, you're running to less!
51:07You're running to less!
51:08Right.
51:09Hold him in.
51:13OK, Leah?
51:14Yep.
51:15Keep him there, Maxie.
51:17Yep.
51:17I'll get him moving.
51:18Yeah.
51:20We got him.
51:21Right, secure, Rich.
51:23OK, mate.
51:24Hello, Fred, can you hear me?
51:25Can you hear me?
51:26No response to voice.
51:28Any response to pain?
51:29Do a trap squeeze.
51:30No response to pain.
51:32OK, the patient is unconscious.
51:34We're all trained quite highly in casualty care, and big sick, little sick is like our assessment
51:39on the state of what we think a casualty is.
51:42So if they're little sick, maybe we can put a blanket round them, sit them in one of the
51:47seats, bring them back to the station, give them a nice warm cup of tea.
51:50If they're big sick, then maybe they need evacuating and for further treatment in hospital or something
51:56like that.
51:57Not breathing, no breath.
51:59Unresponsive.
52:00Unresponsive.
52:00Ineffective.
52:01Start CPR.
52:04Rich?
52:05Yep.
52:05Unresponsive male.
52:06Start CPR.
52:06I request a helicopter, then we'll have an helicopter come in.
52:09Helicopter.
52:11If that had have been a real-life situation, it was very much on the ball, as it were,
52:17as far as the standard operating procedure goes.
52:19There would have just been that more element of urgency.
52:23So the quicker we can get there and get them out and get them warmed up, start that casualty
52:28care process, the better, really.
52:30We achieved what we set out to, so I'm more than happy.
52:49With the glow from our towns and cities becoming ever more widespread, places to see the heavens
52:55in all their glory become rarer, making Damby Lodge National Park Observatory and the Dark
53:01Skies Festival, more important than ever.
53:04This might just be my perfect moment to start learning about mapping the astronomical skies.
53:13Richard Darn is a renowned astronomer and worked with the National Parks team to help
53:18them achieve dark sky reserve status.
53:23Richard, what is so special about this location?
53:26Well, it's a rarity, isn't it?
53:28Somewhere that's actually dark at night.
53:30I mean, we've gotten used to light all through our cities and towns and even the countryside.
53:34Some areas are getting much more lit than there were.
53:36But when you come to somewhere truly dark, and here we are on the northern edge of the
53:39North York Moors, you look up and even on a cloudy night, their sky looks dark.
53:44It's just full of wonder as well.
53:45When you get a clear sky, of course, that's what excites people.
53:49That's the reason why dark skies are really important.
53:52How rare are skies like this above the UK?
53:55Well, they're getting rarer, and they're getting rarer across Europe and the world indeed.
53:59The world's brightening because of the amount of light that we're putting into it.
54:03So we still have dark places, but the battle's on to protect them and also perhaps to reverse
54:09that trend so more people can show in the wonder that we have above here on a clear night.
54:13And what is so special and precious about those dark skies?
54:18We just see all sorts of things.
54:21So if you live in a town or a city, you'll be lucky to see 10 to 20 stars, literally.
54:25I mean, some kids are probably going up not knowing there are stars.
54:28You know, you come here on the same night, it could be up to the 2000s.
54:32We see the northern lights quite regularly here.
54:34It's beautiful.
54:35We see the Milky Way here.
54:37You just simply can't see the Milky Way from built-up areas.
54:40You know, a lot's been lost, but there's still a battle to be fought,
54:43and we can still protect these areas and, again, roll back the tide, hopefully.
54:48And is this place open for everyone to come in and view the stars?
54:52Yeah, so what we'll do, we've got trained astronomers here
54:55that are experts in interpreting the stars for people that know nothing.
54:58And, you know, what a great night when you come in
55:01and you find out all those things you always wanted to learn.
55:03But this is a public facility.
55:05It's meant for the public, yeah?
55:06So people will come along, book in to events.
55:08So if you're just starting to stargaze, what are we looking out for?
55:13Where can we begin?
55:14Well, if it's this time of year, so we're talking about winter-spring time of year,
55:18I mean, everybody's eyes at Jupiter.
55:20So the telescope, even though it's cloudy, it's pointing at where Jupiter is.
55:24Super, super bright.
55:25There's only the moon that can really be brighter or Venus,
55:28and Venus is not in the sky.
55:29So super, super bright.
55:31And this time of year, look out for the hourglass shape,
55:33a constellation over the southern horizon.
55:35Listen, this is Orion, complete with Orion's belt.
55:39Everybody sees it.
55:40Even in a city, you'll probably see it as well.
55:42And once you've got that starting point,
55:44do you find once people can make a few things out, they get hooked in?
55:48Absolutely.
55:49Everybody gets hooked in eventually.
55:51Yeah.
55:51Once you see these things,
55:53most people have always wanted to see them.
55:54Even older people we get coming along,
55:56just, they've never had that hunger satisfied in a way.
56:00It may be cloudy tonight,
56:02but with the observatory's high-tech kit,
56:06I'm hoping to spot something special.
56:10Right, if you'd like to come in here, Marguerite,
56:13let's see what we can see.
56:15Of course, we're going to have to withdraw the observatory roof.
56:20So it comes right across, yes, a few tons there.
56:25And it reveals a rather lovely,
56:28if what was seemingly a cloudy night sky, but...
56:32Richard, that's amazing.
56:33I think we might be able to see Jupiter.
56:37And it might be worth a look.
56:39Off you go.
56:40Is it already focused?
56:42Yeah, we're pointing it where Jupiter should be,
56:44so give it a go,
56:46and you might see something that's going to be amazing.
56:50Fingers crossed.
56:51Fingers crossed.
56:52OK.
56:54Slightly move your eye around, get a bit closer.
56:59So, is the round dot I can...
57:03Oh, wow, OK.
57:05It's the oh, wow moment.
57:08There's an oh, wow moment at every star party.
57:10Oh, I've got it there.
57:11Oh, my goodness.
57:13That was the oh, wow.
57:14Whoa.
57:15Yep, so there it is, 400 million miles away.
57:18Jeez.
57:20About 10 times the diameter of the Earth.
57:22Big ball of gas.
57:24Oh, my goodness.
57:24Oh, my goodness.
57:25And the biggest planet of the lot.
57:27I cannot believe that I am seeing that.
57:29It's hard to believe it's actually there.
57:31It's a full globe.
57:32It's a different world altogether.
57:34And knowing how large Jupiter is,
57:36and to see it so close, my goodness.
57:40And so perfect as well.
57:43But there you go.
57:44That's something most people have never, ever seen.
57:47Wow.
57:48One more thing chalked off your bucket list.
57:50Goodness.
57:53What a special place.
57:55I could definitely get hooked on stargazing here.
57:58And having seen Jupiter that much closer for the first time,
58:01just incredible.
58:03Well, from the stars of the North York Moors
58:05to St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall next week.
58:11This is your problem.
58:12And it's a big problem.
58:13So when the tree has been falling over the wind,
58:15the root mass has come and swept into the tunnel.
58:19It's a beast.
58:20It's big, yes.
58:21It is huge.
58:22You know, she's very important.
58:23She is very important.
58:25She's very lovely.
58:27Oh, what was that?
58:28There.
58:29That was a chuff.
58:30I didn't see it, unfortunately.
58:31You're doubting me, aren't you?
58:33And I'm doubting myself now.
58:36Hope you can join us then.
58:37Goodbye.
58:41On a six-month expedition,
58:43get up close to Africa's magnificent felines,
58:46Big Cats 24-7 on BBC iPlayer,
58:49where it's the perfect time for a spring clean.
58:51Stacey Solomon returns to sort your life out.
58:53You can watch the new series now.
58:56Next to the island of Anglesey,
58:57on the north coast of Wales,
58:59Rantyx Rockshire.
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