Yorkshire Dales

• Documentary

Episode overview

Sean Fletcher and Sammi Kinghorn are in the Yorkshire Dales with its craggy hills, plunging valleys and expansive moors - but the landscape hasn’t always looked like this. Sean discovers the Dales were once covered in trees as he joins one of the biggest native tree planting projects in England, helping to restore woodland to the area. He also meets a young farmer embracing the local tradition of making cheese from a small herd of cattle. Sammi learns the story of Yorkshire wool, from the cottage industry of knitting shepherds, to the water-powered textiles mills of the 18th century. We also meet the man who has spent 35 years filming the underwater world of one of the Yorkshire Dales’ many rivers, and join a printmaker who takes inspiration from her daily fell runs. And Tom is looking at the government’s plans for a big increase in house building and what that will mean for the countryside.

55 minutes