Watch Countryfile Online Season 23 Episode 8

S23 E012012-03-11

11th March 2012Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore North Kent. It may be known as the Garden of England, but Julia discovers there is more to this place than its apples and pears. Savvy food producers are finding there is a taste here for all sorts of food, like snails. She meets a snail breeder and a woman hoping to put snails on the map of Kent produce. While Julia samples the area's slimy delights, Matt is in the woods, where the locals are finding out new ways to make the trees pay. Elsewhere, John Craven investigates the impact everyday foods have on the environment, and reveals some of the worst offenders. Down on the farm, Adam has his hands full as he readies his farm for spring.

S23 E022012-03-18

18th March 2012Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury visit the New Forest. Matt finds out how the local ponies are keeping an invasive pond weed in check, and Julia gets to grips with some big machinery to help clear the land for a special conservation project. Ellie Harrison is also in the New Forest, getting out of breath as she discovers the delights of adventure racing. John Craven is in Scotland, where deer-stalking is a vital part of the Highland's economy. He investigates why huge numbers of them are being culled to make way for trees. Adam Henson keeps lots of rare breed chickens on his farm in the Cotswolds, but this week he looks to add some unusual egg-laying hens to his collection.

S23 E032012-03-25

25th March 2012Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker are in Middle England finding out what rural Leicestershire has to offer. Matt meets two young sisters who are keeping the family farming tradition alive. Julia heads over the border to Rutland to discover why wild birds need protection from the local otters, before sampling some of Leicestershire's finest foods. John Craven visits some of the driest parts of Britain to find out who the droughts are hurting the most. And, now the weather seems to be getting warmer, Adam Henson's letting some of his cattle out of their winter housing and back into the fields - much to their delight.

S23 E042012-04-01

1st April 2012Countryfile is in County Durham. Matt Baker visits the family farm, where his children give him a hand with lambing. Julia Bradbury learns more about an adder project on the moors, and she discovers why the River Wear has been named as one of the 10 most improved rivers for cleanliness in the country. Helen Skelton gets up close to a naked reclining lady over the border in Northumberland as she looks at a new landscape sculpture from artist Charles Jencks. John Craven investigates the devastating new virus to hit the countryside, Schmallenberg. And Adam is on his farm, where his kunekune sow has just given birth.

S23 E052012-05-08

8th April 2012Matt Baker heads to Wales to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Monmouth and Brecon canal, while Ellie Harrison discovers why the Brecon Beacons provide the perfect terrain for soldiers training for international conflicts. Down on the farm, Adam is keeping a close eye on his indoor lambing sheds, but he still finds time for a trip to Dartmoor to learn about the rare breed sheep which give birth outside. Meanwhile, Jules Hudson is at the other end of the country in Lancashire, discovering why a thriving farming community was evicted from the land eighty years ago. Plus John Craven investigates why badger baiting is on the rise in the British countryside and reveals what is being done to clamp down on this barbaric practice.

S23 E062012-05-15

15th April 2012Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison head to the South Pennines, where old rivals Yorkshire and Lancashire collide. It is also home to the Pennine Way, which runs through the backbone of England. Ellie takes in part of the Pennine Way with local poet Simon Armitage. Meanwhile, Matt uses two wheels for some extreme mountain biking. Elsewhere, Tom Heap investigates the controversy surrounding onshore wind turbines. Down on the farm, Adam is taking delivery of thousands of new workers. He is hoping the honey bee will help pollinate his fields of oil seed rape.

S23 E072012-05-22

22nd April 2012Ellie Harrison is in Hampshire, where she delves back into the programme's archives to re-discover some of the amazingly different journeys the team have been on around the UK. Ellie walks in the footsteps of journalist, radical politician, farmer and traveller William Cobbett as she travels through his beloved home village of Botley. She also takes a steam train on the famous Watercress Line and learns about the history of this once busy transport link. And Ellie is not the only one on the train; Julia Bradbury is on the Pennistone Line in Yorkshire, where music helps her journey pass by. Matt Baker is on horseback in Lancashire as he treads an old packhorse route. John Craven is under sail power as he travels around the Llyn Peninsula in the company of dolphins, and Adam Henson explores the Dorset coast by kayak.

S23 E082012-05-29

29th April 2012Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison experience the bracing mix of sandy beaches and remote heathland that make up much of the Suffolk coastline. Matt heads to the seaside town of Southwold to help spruce up the famous beach huts. Ellie is further inland, exploring the old industrial waterways which now inspire a host of artists. Tom Heap is on the opposite side of the country, finding out why we are still digging up one of our greatest natural defences against climate change, peat. Meanwhile, Adam Henson pays tribute to an extraordinary race horse.

S23 E092012-05-13

13 May 2012 (HD)Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are amongst the rolling hills and wooded valleys of Exmoor. At this time of year red deer are shedding their antlers, so Matt goes to see if he can find some, while Ellie gets to try her hand at falconry with a Harris hawk. Tom Heap is in the north of England investigating the growing problem of abandoned and neglected horses. Meanwhile, Adam Henson goes to meet a farmer who is losing half his Longhorn cattle to TB.

Watch Countryfile Season 23 Episode 8 Online

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