The Forest of Bowland is an ideal habitat for the hen harrier. It’s not just the great views that it comes for, but also one of its favourite meals – grouse. We join Natural England’s Stephen Murphy on a mission to spot one of these birds, then meet wildlife officer Duncan Thomas, to stalk deer and find out why they’re a target for poachers.

 

Shepherding is crucial to the area, but young shepherds are in short supply. Thomas Longton, a professional trainer, is hoping to remedy this situation by increasing the numbers of new recruits coming through. He teaches young people how to handle and work with sheepdogs. Julia joins him to help train his new pups, but it’s not as easy as it looks.

 

We’ve all become accustomed to the sight of cows being milked, but how about milking sheep? Well in Chipping that’s exactly what they’re doing and it’s flying off the shelves thanks to its reputation for having health benefits.   Matt meets John and Simon Stott who milk the sheep, and then he catches up with Bob Kitching, who is taking it one step further and making cheese.

 

In 1612, ten women from Lancashire were taken to Lancaster castle and hung for ‘witchcraft.’ They all lived in the Pendle Hill area and became known as the Pendle witches. We meet historian Simon Entwistle to learn more about their story. But were these women just misunderstood? Tim Moorhouse, a modern day medical herbalist, may be able to shed some light on what else they may have been up to. 

 

 We often hear about farmers diversifying, but one Lancashire farmer has gone a step further than most. Amanda Dowson has transformed part of her dairy farm into a fully fledged Hallowe'en experience. It’s such a big production it even involves a cast of actors dressed up as ghouls and ghosts. Matt and Julia join Amanda and its creator, Jason Karl, as they prepare for the big day.

Experts say that children are not getting enough exposure to the countryside and it’s having a negative effect on their wellbeing. Katie Knapman takes her children to Essex to discover what parents and children can do to get back in touch with nature.

 

An estimated seventy thousand houses a year will be built on greenfield sites, in order to meet government's housing targets. Many of those will be in greenbelt areas -- stretches of land originally designated to halt urban sprawl. John Craven has been to visit one community living in the greenbelt, to hear how they fought in vain to prevent a housing estate being built on their doorstep. But the Town and Country Planning Association tells John that, with the pressure to build hundreds of thousands of new homes, it's time to reassess the purpose of the greenbelt.     

 

This week Adam’s off to an agricultural show with his dad. It’s a good chance for him to catch up with other famers in the area and find out about the latest developments. But it’s not long before we’re back on the farm, and its time for the rams to be put in with the ewes. The timing is crucial because Adam needs to make sure that all his lambs don't arrive at the same time next spring. Once the different breeds have been sorted into flocks, he lets nature take its course.