Ö÷²¥´óÐã

John explores the history of Llandudno, a holiday seaside resort that sits at the foothills of Snowdonia National Park. A town built for tourism by Lord Mostyn, a local landowner in the 1900s, the middle classes would arrive in their droves by steamboat. Today, it’s as popular as ever, with over half a million visitors a year to the Pier, Promenade and the Great Orme.  It’s arguably the finest example of a Victorian seafront left in the UK and for 160 years it’s remained the same.

The Great Orme is a country park run by Conwy Council wardens. At this time of year they’re busy taking part in the Big Butterfly count for the UK Butterfly Monitoring scheme which records data on over 1000 sites annually. It’s one of the most important resources for understanding changes in insect populations.  John joins Sally Pidcock, head warden to help count the Silver studded blue butterfly. He also learns about the work they do to fight invasive species.

In May this year the National Trust bought land on the Great Orme for £1 million pounds including 147 hectre Parc farm and the grazing rights to over 700 hectares. The Orme is significant as it’s a site with eight scheduled ancient monuments including the world's biggest prehistoric mine. It dates back 4,000 years to the Bronze Age and the first-ever book in Wales was printed in one of its caves.

156 years ago travelling showman Richard Codman picked up some driftwood from the beach in Llandudno and set about making a set of puppets that would become key figures in the longest running Punch and Judy show in the country. Five generations later and Jason Codman is the latest to keep the family tradition going.  John joins the crowds for the latest show and hears a bit more about this remarkable story.

Matt Baker visits the Great Dorset Steam Fair, one of the biggest steam shows in the world, on its 45th anniversary. He joins steam enthusiast John Wakeham to find out about the history of steam and how it changed the countryside. John also allows Matt to perform a wheelie in his precious engine! Then, after trying his skills on a steam-driven plough, Matt becomes an engine apprentice and trains to steer one of the fair’s biggest ever loads uphill. Will he make it?

Stand up paddleboarding is the fastest growing watersport activity. The origins of this sport may lie in exotic Hawaii but Ellie discovers there’s a large paddleboarding community in South Wales. One resident was even building his own paddleboards in the fifties. Ellie gets a lesson from Welsh champion Chris Griffiths before joining with the locals as they paddle around the Mumbles coastline. Keep your eyes peeled for a four-legged enthusiast too!

Matt heads to the North Pennines for a hike and bike tour. Matt hitches a ride on a trike to visit some of the spectacular sights here. He drops in at a winery where beetroot is the main ingredient.

Ellie meets Cynthia Coppack, who has brought the culinary delights of her hometown - Kingston, Jamaica – to the rural village pub she runs in Kingston, Dorset. Cynthia sends Ellie to gather some ingredients from local growers and teaches her how to use them to make a jerk marinade. Ellie joins Cynthia and her family for a Reggae party at Cynthia’s pub. She helps Cynthia cook food Jamaican-style at her jerk shack in the beer garden, overlooking Corfe Castle.