Suffolk

At the mercy of annual storms, coastal erosion and rising sea levels, Suffolk’s saltmarshes are under threat. Ellie Harrison heads to the River Orwell to discover how a local wildlife group and business owner have combined forces to save this highly productive ecosystem. Here she meets Suffolk Yacht Harbour owner, Jonathan Dyke, who explains how silt, though bad for boats, is wonderful for building up damaged saltmarsh. Ellie then helps Andrew Excell of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust install apparatus to encourage regrowth of vegetation and finds out why this unique habitat is important not only for rare and wintering birds, but also as a natural flood defence.

Discover more about Suffolk’s saltmarshes

In the Middle Ages, Dunwich was one of the country’s most important trading ports. After centuries of drastic coastal erosion, nothing but a tiny village and handful of remnants remain. Matt Baker comes to face to face with the brutal force that buried Dunwich beneath the waves when he goes out on the North Sea with University of Southampton’s Professor of Physical Geography, David Sear. Using maps produced from high tech sonar imaging David takes Matt to some of Dunwich’s most significant sites and explains how ‘Britain’s Atlantis’ has fascinated him since childhood. Later, David shows Matt how looking at mud cores on neighbouring marshland can show us exactly when and how Dunwich was lost to the sea.

Over the last few months struggling dairy farmers have been protesting against the supermarkets and processors over the price they are paid for milk. But despite their efforts many have found that prices are still falling. Tom Heap looks at claims that we are selling milk too cheaply and asks whether paying more for a pint would really help the diary industry. As he discovers, there is no easy answer to that question.   

Suffolk’s stormy coast has inspired artists for centuries and its constant dynamism continues to do so today. On a particularly windy afternoon, Matt battles his way to the beach to meet a group who commit coast to canvas, whatever the weather. He speaks to the hardy artists who explain why Suffolk’s constantly changing coast excites their creativity, even if they have to strap hot water bottles to themselves to endure its stormy conditions! Then, Matt tries his own hand at putting charcoal to paper.

Find out more about the work of these hardy artists

Firefighters get called out to all sorts of emergencies in the countryside and occasionally they have to cope with animals in trouble. So this week on Countryfile, Adam Henson joins Black Watch from the Gloucestershire Fire Service on one of their special training exercises. Adam knows all to well that fires can be a problem on farms – after witnessing a burning tractor in a neighbour’s field. But firefighters do much more than just tackle blazes. Adam finds out about training where they get close too and learn to handle a whole range of animals including bulls, horses and sheep.

Find out more about Gloucestershire’s firefighters

Fresh from winning the Samuel Johnson Prize and 2014 Costa Book Award, Suffolk based author Helen MacDonald meets Ellie Harrison to discuss the inspiration behind her book ‘H is for Hawk’ and her childhood fascination with birds of prey. In Thetford Forest they talk about the goshawk’s ferocious nature whilst trying their luck at spotting one of these fascinating birds in the wild. Later, at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, Helen flies her first goshawk since the death of her own bird, Mabel, and Ellie learns how to fly a Harris hawk.

Discover more about the goshawk