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BOXHILL
IMAGE: Matt learns about the plans to bring Olympic Cycling to Boxhill
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OLYMPIC ROAD CYCLING
Matt Baker dons his cycling gear and joins Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman for a cycling trip around Boxhill in Surrey, an area treasured by cyclists and naturalists alike. The famous zig-zag hill has been chosen to be part of the London 2012 road cycling event. Matt and Chris have been testing the route to find out what next year’s competitors will be up against.
But it isn’t just cyclists who are in for a challenge during the games. The National Trust is working with London 2012 organisers to ensure Boxhill’s wildlife is not damaged by spectators. Matt discovers some of the rare species that they are trying to protect - including the elusive ‘Man Orchid’. -
LONDON’S GREEN OLYMPICS
IMAGE: Katie meets Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell.
GET INVOLVED IN MEET THE SPECIES
London 2012 is fast approaching and we have been promised the greenest Olympics yet. So what exactly does this mean for wildlife in the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London? Katie Knapman meets the people looking after the ecology of the park, including Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell.
Katie also visits Lee Valley Regional Park’s Waterworks Nature Reserve in Leyton, a fine example of how wildlife can flourish in an inner city location. It is home to the newts, toads and lizards relocated from the Olympic site. Katie braves the elements to try her hand at sweep netting and pond dipping in the hope of finding some of these species - and a few more. -
ADAM’S FARM
IMAGE: Separated at birth? Adam and Eric the Highland Bull.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIGHLAND CATTLE
The farm’s biggest beast, Eric the Highland Bull, has to be moved to the other side of the farm this week. Adam doesn’t want any new calves until next summer, so Eric and the cows have to be separated for a few months. And, with all the animals out on their summer pasture, the time has come to muck out the barns. It’s not the best job on the farm, but someone has to do it!
Plus Adam finds a lost lamb, but can it be nurtured back to health? -
JOHN CRAVEN INVESTIGATES: SOLAR POWER
IMAGE: John discovers one of Germany’s vast solar parks.
WHY THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO CUT TARIFFS FOR LARGE SCALE SOLAR PROJECTS
John investigates why, when it comes to generating energy from renewable sources like solar panels, Britain is lagging behind many of its European neighbours. He asks why a single solar park in Germany generates more power than all the solar panels in the whole of the UK. Plus he finds that investment in large scale solar parks, in this country, has recently been dealt a blow by a huge cut in subsidies – or ‘feed-in tariffs’. John also asks whether people in other countries are just more open to the idea of generating electricity from renewable sources than we are. -
SURREY’S VINEYARDS
IMAGE: Master of Wine, John Downes, joins Matt and Julia on the vineyard.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE CREATED BY CHARLES HAMILTON
English wine is currently going from strength to strength. So Julia travels to a part of Surrey where our wine is now attracting the attention of the French. Painshill is one of England’s oldest vineyards and was the vision of young aristocrat Charles Hamilton. Despite his forward thinking, home grown wine didn’t catch on - that is until very recently. Denbies near Dorking is the largest vineyard in the UK and has won critical acclaim for its sparkling wine. Julia finds out what all the fuss is about and recruits Matt to do a bit of taste testing for her. -
BUSHY PARK PHOTOGRAPHY
IMAGE: Julia tries to work out how to use her camera.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE COMPETITION
Julia Bradbury casts an artistic eye over Bushy Park, learning how to capture the very best wildlife shots. With the help of an expert in photography - and the local wildlife - Julian learns how to use a modern digital camera to get that perfect picture. But will any of her photos be as good as the entries we are getting for this year’s Countryfile calendar?
Don’t forget you can enter with your best photos for this year’s theme 'Best in Show'.
Credits
- Series Producer
- Teresa Bogan
- Presenter
- Julia Bradbury
- Presenter
- Matt Baker
- Presenter
- John Craven
- Presenter
- Katie Knapman
- Presenter
- Adam Henson
- Executive Producer
- Andrew Thorman
