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Matt Baker dons his hiking boots to trek some of the 鈥楶eak Pilgrimage Way鈥�, a new and permanent thirty five mile trail that winds its way through the heart of Derbyshire鈥檚 Peak District before reaching its final destination in the historic plague village of Eyam. Matt is joined by Bob Jackson, author of the trail鈥檚 guide, who champions the act of leaving electronic devices behind and undertaking a spiritual journey, whatever your beliefs. On route, Matt stops off in the pretty town of Bakewell to meet a vibrant community committed to keeping the Peak District tradition of well dressing alive.

Anita Rani meets artist, designer and 鈥榝armer鈥� Gavin Munro who is growing a rather unusual crop at his 2.5 acre holding in central Derbyshire 鈥� chairs! Using flexible tree types such as ash and sycamore, Anita learns how Gavin shapes young saplings around plastic moulds to ultimately make whole tables, chairs and lamps from a single piece of wood. As Gavin takes Anita through the various stages of this painstaking process, she finds out that patience really is the name of the game when it comes to creating green and sustainable furniture. Just one of Gavin鈥檚 pieces takes 5-8 years to grow!

In the North Western tip of Derbyshire, Anita Rani discovers a rather exotic inhabitant at a seemingly ordinary animal sanctuary. Conservationist Carol Heap and husband Roger are the first people in the UK to have successfully bred the giant otter as part of a global captive breeding programme due to hunting and loss of habitat in the species鈥� native South America. Anita discovers the unique and playful nature of these endangered creatures as she helps to prepare Panambi, Manoki and cub Meamu a new sand enclosure before feeding them a fishy dinner.

Soil is one of our most precious assets. Farming, food and life itself depend on it. On average 2.2 million tonnes of topsoil are eroded annually in the UK, costing an estimated 拢45million to the farming industry. So is it time that we learn to love it or lose it? Tom Heap discovers how the very crops farmers are being encouraged to grow could be having a detrimental effect on soil. Maize is a case in point. It's one of the biggest growing crops in the country, used for animal feed and to feed Anaerobic Digesters that create biofuel but according to the Soil Association it could be a disaster for our soil. Tom looks into the solutions for improving soil health; introducing cover crops, no tilling and reducing type pressures are just some ideas.聽聽

Matt鈥檚 journey concludes in Eyam, a historic Derbyshire village which this year commemorates the 350th anniversary of the self-sacrifice its residents made during the outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1665. The 鈥淕reat Plague鈥� arrived in Eyam when the village tailor opened a box of cloth from London infested with fleas. As the disease took rapid and deadly hold of the community, the villagers came to the extraordinary decision of staying put and cutting themselves of from the outside world in order to prevent the spread of the disease to surrounding areas. Matt Baker meets Eyam鈥檚 current rector, Mike Gilbert, and Joan Plant, a descendant of plague survivor Margaret Blackwell to learn more about the inspiring people behind this great human sacrifice.

Ever since its pristine rivers inspired Izaak Walton鈥檚 17th century 鈥楾he Compleat Angler鈥�, Derbyshire has held a romantic place in fly fishing folklore. Joe Crowley meets Warren Slaney, the head river keeper of the county鈥檚 impressive Haddon Estate, who for the past ten years has been turning back the clock on a landscape scarred by the heavy hand of industry and intensive farming. 聽Joe takes his own rod to the crystal clear stretches of the River Lathkill and learns how Warren鈥檚 radical 鈥榬ewilding鈥� programme has made these waters a haven for fish and fishermen alike. Later on, Joe is joined by 鈥榝ish twitcher鈥� and underwater videographer Jack Perks to get up close and personal with the same trout he鈥檚 been trying to catch.

The true origins of Peak District鈥檚 unique well dressings are lost in the mists of time. Some say these elaborate petal paintings lie in pagan tradition, whilst others say they were a blessing to the natural springs thought to protect villages from the Black Death. Matt re-joins Sue Hudson and her trusty team to help haul this year鈥檚 masterpiece into place, whilst Anita joins well dressing stalwart Mrs. Dudley at the local allotment to gather some last minute supplies.