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Peak District

Countryfile is exploring the Peak District. Matt Baker joins the team on a mission to restore the scarred moorland.

Countryfile explores the Peak District. Matt Baker joins the team on a mission to restore the scarred moorland. Ellie Harrison meets the climber and photographer who are coming together in an unusual collaboration. And Adam Henson is in New Zealand for the final part of his journey, discovering how they farm on the other side of the world.

DJ Edith Bowman returns home to the rugged coastline of the East Neuk of Fife where she shares her passion for photography. As more of our lives move online, Tom Heap looks at broadband in rural areas and meets those who feel they're being left behind - but could there be hope on the horizon?

1 hour

Music Played

  • Andreas Prittwitz

    Sailing (Navegando)

  • Sia

    Breathe Me

Moors for the Future

Moors for the Future

The Peak District moors are very popular with the people of Manchester and Sheffield. But the proximity to these industrial powerhouses has, over the centuries, caused catastrophic damage to the blanket bogs on the tops. Now a new project aims to protect and restore the blanket bog on the moors of the Peak district and the South Pennines by damming gullies and re-introducing sphagnum mosses. Matt Baker meets Brendon Wittram from Moors for the Future to find out about the problem before donning a new bit of kit to help in the restoration efforts.

Rural broadband

Rural broadband
For many living in rural areas, the internet can be frustrating to say the least! But as Tom Heap finds out it can also be economically crippling as more and more everyday services move online. So could a bill currently being discussed in parliament be the answer? Tom travels from the Peak District down to Westminster to find out. 聽聽
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Bouldering photography

Bouldering photography
The Peak District with its ridges and tors is classic climbing country and as Ellie discovers Stanage Edge draws climbers from all over the world. It also provides the perfect setting for photographer Henry Iddon to capture the final images of his latest project. His subject is Shauna Coxsey, the ladies world number one in bouldering, can she teach Ellie a thing or two?聽聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽聽

Edith Bowman

Edith Bowman
In this week's 'My Countryside' Edith Bowman takes us on a photographic journey back to her roots in Scotland. As a child she discovered photography using her father's hand me down cameras. Now as an adult she's back hoping to recapture the coast she knew so well as a child.聽

Inspiring landscape

Inspiring landscape

Stories are one of our oldest art forms and they're woven into the fabric of our daily lives. This week marks the start of national storytelling week and to celebrate Ellie is visiting the rich landscapes of the Peak District which are thought to have inspired numerous story tellers including Charlotte Bronte. Today these crags and moors are the source of inspiration for a new generation including award winning songwriter Bella Hardy and narrative-artist Ingrid Karlsson Kemp.

New Zealand muster

New Zealand muster

It's the grand finale of Adam鈥檚 New Zealand trip. He鈥檚 at Hawkes Bay on the North Island helping muster cattle. At the age of 78, farmer, Ian Brickell still starts his working day at 5.30 am. He farms Welsh Black Cattle on his hilly farm in the mountains. Ian has a robust way of farming and breeds his animal鈥檚 tough.聽With help from his grandson and his dogs, they move the cattle to the handling pens for their annual TB test. New Zealand has significantly reduced their TB problem and Adam鈥檚 is keen to discover how.聽

Stoney Middleton spa

Stoney Middleton spa

The peak district towns of Buxton and Matlock Bath are famous for their spa water but just down the road is a little known village with a gem of its own. Stoney Middleton is a former mining village and home to a geothermal spring and bath house. Matt has stopped by to meet geologist Barry Smith to find out what gives the water its geothermal properties. He visits the bath house to find out about the history of spas in the area and speaks to enterprising villager, Colin Hall, who has big plans for the future.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matt Baker
Presenter Ellie Harrison
Presenter Tom Heap
Presenter Adam Henson
Participant Edith Bowman
Series Producer Joanna Brame
Executive Producer William Lyons

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