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Private Notes
Ray Mears in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. In the first episode of the series, Ray Mears explores the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, using his tracking skills and expert wildlife and plant knowledge to reveal its secrets to viewers; from the rare sight of wild boars and their piglets foraging, to finding the wild-growing edible ingredients for a uniquely British salad.
Ray Mears explores the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia In the second episode of the series, Ray Mears explores Britain’s shingle shore, which covers 10,000 miles of our coastline. Ray is on the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, one of the few places in Britain where large areas of shingle beach, sand dunes and salt marsh sit alongside each other.
Ray Mears explores the countryside of Somerset In episode three, Ray Mears explores a quintessential British habitat – the hay meadow. He travels to the Mendip hills in Somerset, where nearly half of Britain’s hay meadows and unimproved grasslands can be found filled with a beautiful and diverse mix of wild-flowers and grasses.
Ray Mears explores the lowland wetlands of Somerset Ray Mears takes to his canoe to explore the atmospheric lowland wetlands of Somerset. This beautiful habitat is one of the largest feeding grounds for wildlife in Europe.
Ray visits one of the country's least known habitats - the Breckland in East Anglia. The area has the hottest summers and coldest winters in the country, and is home to an abundance of exciting fauna including brown hares, the rare stone curlew and the noisy pool frog - which until recently was extinct in this country. Ray ventures below ground to explore an ancient flint mine where he discovers a red deer antler that has been there since the Stone Age.
The survival expert explores the Peak District, one of the most popular spectacles in the British countryside, where he spots short-eared owls hunting for voles and catches a glimpse of some of the red grouse and mountain hares that live among the heather of the Dark Peak. He also heads to the limestone uplands of the White Peak, whose rivers and streams are home to rare great crested newts and caddis flies.
The survival expert sets out again to explore some of Britain's finest habitats and most spectacular wildlife, beginning in Scotland's Caledonian pine forests, home to rare species including the capercaillie. Ray camps out in the hope of catching the turkey-sized grouse's courtship display, and also goes in search of the red squirrel.
The survival expert explores Skomer Island, a seabird haven off the Pembrokeshire coast, and watches members of its puffin population returning from the sea with sand eels to feed their young. He also has a close encounter with the Skomer vole, which is not found anywhere else.
Ray Mears reveals that he spent much of his childhood searching the South Downs for the Adonis Blue butterfly. Back then, they were a rare sight but now, thanks to conservation work, they are easily spotted and Ray gets to marvel at one perched on his finger. Ray's looking at chalk habitats and explains that chalk is made from creatures that lived in the sea millions of years ago. He's on the South Coast and journeys Westwards and, on his way, he spies peregrine falcons, kittiwakes, a wealth of wild flowers and, of course, the Adonis Blue.
The survival expert heads to Norfolk to explore the county's lowland rivers, which are a haven for wild plants and creatures including kingfishers and crayfish. Ray also goes in search of water voles, whose population is in sharp decline.
Ray heads to North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and explores Loch Maddy - home to red deer, otters, common seals, red-throated divers and sea eagles. He also does some scuba diving.
Ray travels to the New Forest in Hampshire where he takes a look around the ancient woodland to discover fallow deer and New Forest ponies. He also finds ancient dead and decaying trees that provide a haven for beetles, bats and hornets.
Ray travels to the most northern landscape of the British mainland which is peat bogs of Caithness and Sutherland. The area covers 1,500 square miles and is one of the largest stretches of unspoiled Blanket Bog in Europe. He takes a look around the region and uncovers rare specialised plants, and birds such as the Black-throated diver and the Hen-harrier.
Ray makes his way to East Anglia to find out more about one of the wildest and wettest parts of the country.
Ray Mears travels to the Highlands of Scotland where he takes a look around the dramatic peaks and heather-covered moors which feature a mix of mammals and birds that have adapted to an ecology unique to the region.
Ray takes a look back at some of the best moments from the series.
Ray makes his way to the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides looking for marine and coastal wildlife. He meets up with local whale watching skipper James Fairburns as they look for the signs of minke whale and he comes face to face with the world’s second largest fish after he snorkels with a huge basking shark. He finds it hard to stay on his feet as the boat takes him to the epicentre of the Corywreckan whirlpool.
Ray takes a look around the ancient forests on the Isle of Wight. The island has no grey squirrels making it a sanctuary for our native endangered red squirrels. Ray talks to Ian White of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species as he takes a look at nest boxes put in to improve the survival chances of the dormouse.
Ray makes his way to the Yorkshire Dales to learn more about the limestone geology of the pavements, cliffs and caves and the wildlife that depends on it.
Ray takes a look around the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire which is the largest area of chalk grassland in the country and home to the largest military training operation.
Ray continues his celebration of the British landscape and its wildlife. Ray takes a trip down the River Wye in Wales, meeting local experts and observing wildlife.
In Argyll, Ray explores the temperate rainforest, discovers the skia deer, meets local lichenologist, and learns about reintroduction of the European beaver.
Off the Isle of Wight Ray finds conger eels, the spiny spider crab and smooth hound sharks and on land a rare butterfly and the footprint of a prehistoric iguanodon.
Ray visits the Scilly Isles off the Cornish coast; he looks at species that don't appear anywhere on the mainland.
Ray takes a look around the area known as The Weald, a landscape of ancient forest, small fields and heath on the Kent-Sussex border in south east England.
Ray takes a look back at some of his favourite moments from the series.
Only the hardiest of beasts survive in Britain's mountains and uplands, including the golden eagle and its prey the mountain hare, plus 400,000 red deer, the flamboyant black grouse, and sheep who have grazed for centuries.
Britain's forests contain majestic trees, some of them thousands of years old. Behind the leafy veil, there are booming populations of previously rare wild boar and goshawks.
