Countrywise - Episode Guide

In this first episode Ben Fogle heads out on a tour of the stunning Isles of Scilly with his guide Colin Taylor - the police sergeant in charge of this little piece of British paradise.

Meanwhile Liz Bonnin is in Dorset on the spectacular jurassic coast to meet some of the millions of birds who travel thousands of miles to reach our shores each spring; and Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton joins the Household Cavalry on their annual holiday ride out at Holkham Sands in Norfolk

Episode 2

Episode: 8x02 | Airdate: Sep 16, 2016

This week on Countrywise Guide to Britain we continue our tour of the spectacular countryside - inspiring us all to pull on our wellies pack a picnic and get out and explore the great outdoors this weekend.

In this episode Ben Fogle gets very close to nature as he takes a chilly naked dip in one of Snowdonia's hidden lakes; Liz Bonnin is in Galloway in Scotland and its Dark Skies Park with a group of inner city kids - to inspire them with a nocturnal safari and the magic of the stars; and we are in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales to meet Shepherdess Amanda Owen and her family as they welcome baby number 9 into the flock.

Episode 3

Episode: 8x03 | Airdate: Sep 23, 2016

This week sees Ben Fogle head to his favourite county in Britain - Cornwall - to explore it from a whole new perspective as he tries his hand at free diving for the very first time - and his prize if he reaches a target depth of ten meters is the chance to dive with a colony of Grey Seals.

Great British Bakeoff winner John Waite travels back home to Lancashire and the family farm he grew up in - and cooks up some traditional Lancashire treats - Eccles Cakes. Liz Bonnin is working with a team of volunteers at Cuan Wildlife Rescue centre in Shropshire- caring for injured birds; and actress Lesely Joseph is indulging her love of stately homes as she turns guide for the day at Osterley Park in Middlesex.

Episode 4

Episode: 8x04 | Airdate: Sep 30, 2016

This week Ben Fogle - and his faithful labrador Storm - head to North Wales to try their hand at one of rural Britain's fastest growing sports, competitive sheep shearing. It's an England vs Wales clash, as Ben joins the teams racing to shear their sheep the fastest. Liz Bonnin is on the stunning Isle of Mull in Scotland, spotting pods of migrating dolphins who are returning to our shores. And we're at Sussex home of Zoe Ball, who's giving us a tour of her own back garden before she heads off to the National Trust's Standen House for some top tips of how to make her garden grow.

Episode 5

Episode: 8x05 | Airdate: Oct 7, 2016

This week Liz Bonnin takes to the water on a canoe journey along the majestic River Wye. Meandering along the border of England and Wales, the river offers up a wealth of wildlife and as it is midsummer, Liz tries to catch a glimpse of Britain's most elusive and mysterious bird - the Night Jar.

Ben Fogle heads to the Exmoor coast and the picturesque village of Porlock - where he samples the locally farmed Oysters which thanks to a local community scheme are making a comeback; and we are back in the Yorkshire Dales and Britain's biggest farming family - the Owen's - to see how baby number nine Nancy is settling in as the farm is busy bailing hay while the sun shines.

Episode 6

Episode: 8x06 | Airdate: Oct 14, 2016

This week Ben Fogle is experiencing the world beneath the stunning Yorkshire Dales as he explores Britain's biggest underground cavern - Gaping Gill. Liz Bonnin is in Scotland and the Forest Park of Galloway - where she is tracking one of our rarest mammals the Pine Martin.; and we are at the Cotswold home of actress Angela Griffin who's sharing her love of local fresh produce with nine year old daughter Missey.

Episode 7

Episode: 8x07 | Airdate: Oct 21, 2016

This week Liz Bonnin is witnessing one of Britain's greatest natural wonders as she takes a trip down the might river Severn during one of its massive tidal bores - and meets the surfers who say there is nothing else like it.

Ben Fogel takes his six-year-old son Ludo on a Cornish adventure - where Ludo get the chance to learn to sail and the pair enjoy some rock pooling - all on a stretch of coastline close to Ben's heart.

We also return to the Yorkshire Dales and the farm of shepherdess Amanda Owen - where she, husband Clive and their nine children are preparing for the annual country show.

Episode 8

Episode: 8x08 | Airdate: Oct 28, 2016

This week Liz Bonnin is on the tiny island of Lunga off the South West coast of Scotland for an encounter with a colony of the adorable Atlantic Puffin.

Ben Fogle is in Devon - joining the cowboys who drive their cattle across the tough terrain of Dartmoor each year the old fashioned way- on horseback!

And we are in Dorset with musician and actor Martin Kemp for a crabbing trip with the local fishermen and a trip down memory lane.

Episode 9

Episode: 8x09 | Airdate: Nov 4, 2016

Ben Fogle and Liz Bonnin explore the British countryside. Ben cycles around Yorkshire, Liz encounters a wolf in Shropshire and actor David Bradley revisits Alnwick Castle.

Episode 10

Episode: 8x10 | Airdate: Nov 18, 2016

This week Ben Fogle heads to Cornwall and the paradise lse of Scilly to search for the enigmatic Blue shark.

Liz Bonnin is in Dorset to sample local gin and to find out just how this spirit is a true taste of the countryside.

And we return to Ravenseat Farm in Yorkshire and Shepherdess Amanda Owen and her brood of nine children as they head off to auction to sell their lambs.

Episode 11

Episode: 8x11 | Airdate: Nov 25, 2016

This week Ben Fogle is recalculating the height of England's highest mountain Scafell Pike with the team from the Ordnance Survey; Liz Bonnin is at Cheshire's Lyme Park to witness one of Autumn's greatest natural wonders- the Red Deer Rut; and chef Gino De Campo is in his adopted home county of Hertfordshire to find some woodland ingredients for his mushroom bruschetta.

Episode 12

Episode: 8x12 | Airdate: Dec 2, 2016

This week Liz Bonnin enjoys one of Britain's National Trails as she walks part of the Thames Path through Oxfordshire - meeting some of the people and animals who call the banks of this great river home. Ben Fogle is in Whitby on the Yorkshire coast to follow one of the nation's favourite dishes - fish and chips- from sea to fork and we return to the Dales and the farm of shepherdess Amanda Owen as the family celebrate Dad Clive's birthday.

Episode 13

Episode: 8x13 | Airdate: Dec 9, 2016

This week Ben Fogle is in the Lake District at the annual Ennerdale show where he takes part in some sheep showing and gets to grips with some Cumbrian wrestling.

Liz Bonnin heads to the River Nith in South West Scotland for a training day with the river rescue team, and actress Sheila Hancock returns to the quiet corner of the Dorset coast where she first fell in love with the countryside almost eighty years ago.

Episode 14

Episode: 8x14 | Airdate: Dec 16, 2016

This week Liz Bonnin travels to Cheshire to spend the day in one of its stunning woodlands with a group of children at Forest School.

Ben Fogle is in the Lake District to experience its stunning views from the unique perspective of the Via Ferrata - a system of cables and walkways built into the mountain side. He also heads to the River Tay in Perthshire to join cricket legend Ian Botham for a fishing trip in his favourite spot in the countryside.

Episode 15

Episode: 8x15 | Airdate: Dec 22, 2016

In the final episode of the series Liz Bonnin is in the magical Delamere Forest to find out about the festive ingredients in our woodlands.

Ben Fogle is at Castle Howard in Yorkshire - one of the grand settings of ITV's Victoria - to help with some renovation work on its gold dome; and we make our final visit to the home of shepherdess Amanda Owen in the Yorkshire Dales as the farm prepares for winter and the children prepare for Christmas.

Specials

The Real Downton Abbey

Episode: S03 Special | Airdate: Sep 18, 2011

River Pageant

Episode: S04 Special | Airdate: May 29, 2012

Queen and Country

Episode: S04 Special | Airdate: Jun 5, 2012

Countywise Winter Wonderland

Episode: S07 Special | Airdate: Dec 25, 2015 (50 min)

Ben climbs a mountain in the Lake District with a man whose job it is to battle the elements every day. Paul experiences the peak district by glider. Liz travels to Cambridgeshire witnessing the incredible sight of thousands of swans as they migrate to avoid the Russian winter.

Secret Wild Places

Episode: S07 Special | Airdate: Aug 17, 2016 (60 min)

A special programme in which the Countrywise team of Paul Heiney, Liz Bonnin and Ben Fogle go in search of countryside virtually untouched by man. From the frozen mountains of the Cairngorms, to the raging North Cornish coast, much of which nature has reclaimed as its own.