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00:00Four miles south of mainland Britain sits a diamond in the Solent, an island
00:10paradise blessed with golden beaches. Who wouldn't want to look after something
00:17as beautiful as this? Verdant forests, ancient valleys and chalk white cliffs.
00:26It's a land steeped in rich history. I love the location here, I look at the view
00:33it's fantastic. Farmed by ancient civilizations. It's a Roman coin, it's about
00:391700 years old. Favoured by kings and queens. This is where King Charles used to
00:46apparently stay. And today home to a thriving community. Proud of their
00:53heritage and tradition. Every year millions visit these shores. To step back in time.
01:07Immerse in the culture. And experience the raw power of nature. Welcome to an island of old memories.
01:20You're touching history. It's a lovely feeling. And new stories. It's just so different
01:31compared to the mainland. Welcome to the Isle of Wight.
01:39It's the end of March and the start of British summertime. But across the island, there's still
01:51a distinct spring chill in the air. Along the vast Solent Strait, powerful steel blue waves send white
02:00horses galloping towards the shore, daubing the rocks with creamy wisps of foam. Up above, grassy cliff tops soak up the sea air,
02:10feeding off snatches of early morning sun to light up the coastline with a viridescent shimmer.
02:17On the north-eastern tip of the island, the picturesque village of Sea View is waking up to some rare spring sunshine.
02:32It's a popular tourist spot in summer, but for the locals, it's a coastal paradise all year round.
02:39And for one group of residents, nothing is going to stop them from what they love doing best, an early morning dip.
02:49The Sea View Salties are a group of swimmers that meet first thing every day, brought together by sea-swimming evangelist Jules Monaghan,
03:04who moved to the island from the Midlands 11 years ago.
03:07At the beginning of lockdown, there was three or four of us that were just coming down.
03:12And the bridge group's just grown and grown and grown, one after the other.
03:16And people from all different backgrounds.
03:19And we're all just the same here.
03:21You know, there's nothing so normalising like getting naked and getting changed in front of each other
03:27and, you know, just going in and splashing around.
03:29It's just the best thing ever.
03:31You get into the water and your whole body just feels alive.
03:34It just screams at you, I'm alive, I'm alive!
03:37There's nothing quite like it and it's absolutely amazing.
03:40Yeah, absolutely love it.
03:43Although the spring sunshine keeps the air mild on shore,
03:48in the sea, it's a bracing nine degrees.
03:54But booted and bobble-hatted, everyone takes the plunge.
04:01It's a beautiful spot for a dip, with views across to Portsmouth,
04:1715 miles away beyond the impressive Solent forts.
04:21Absolutely gorgeous!
04:24And there's no other place 75-year-old Glenys would rather be.
04:28I think it helps you with your mental health.
04:30It makes you get up in the morning.
04:33I wasn't in a particularly good place when I first came here, four years ago.
04:38I had two bereavements very close together.
04:41And these people have really, really helped me.
04:44They've been absolutely amazing.
04:46Look at all these lovely people and look at all the lovely sunshine.
04:54You know your body's alive, I'm sure.
04:57We get in whether it's rain, shine.
05:01A glorious day like this with the sun,
05:03which just makes it feel warmer than it is.
05:05Yeah, it's absolutely gorgeous.
05:08For islander Cathy, it's a place full of treasured memories.
05:12It's amazing, it feels so warm today.
05:15I first came to the island and I was about four,
05:18and now I live here, so it's kind of come full circle.
05:21I love the great friends I've met here, the sort of camaraderie.
05:24We're a really supportive group, and we always have a laugh.
05:27I can't believe how much it's added to my life.
05:31After an invigorating swim, the Seaview Salteys head back to dry land
05:44for a much-needed warming cuppa.
05:46Amazing, alive, ready for the day now.
05:48Definitely.
05:49It was not cold today, and I'm not lying.
05:53As long as you wrap up warm, you're absolutely fine.
05:55And we all look out for each other, so that's a nice thing as well.
05:59And the sun's out.
06:01I love island life.
06:02I love that we have got so many beaches to choose to swim at.
06:06Rain or shine, always here.
06:09Never regret coming.
06:10It's just amazing.
06:12If you're laying in bed and go,
06:13oh, can I be bothered to go?
06:15You never regret a swim.
06:16Never regret going.
06:17You always regret not going.
06:19I'm very, very happy now, as you can tell.
06:22For these islanders, this quick dip is a life-affirming kickstart to their days.
06:30Full of the joy of the sea, friendship, and on a day like today, a little bit of sunshine, too.
06:37Away from the coast, the small towns and pretty villages that pepper the countryside are enjoying the serenity of the season.
06:49Without the summertime clamour of holidaymakers, a symphony of birdsong rings out across the rooftops, signalling the start of another busy rural cycle.
07:00At Briddlesford Farm near Ryde, the arrival of spring brings an air of hope and anticipation.
07:09The landscape returns to its signature shades of green, and new life is in the air.
07:15For farmer Paul Griffin, managing his herd of Guernsey cows is far more than just a job.
07:22Our cows are an iconic piece of the Isle of Wight landscape.
07:25My family's pride and joy, really, and actually a part of the family.
07:30Like all the cows on this farm, they're descended from the 15 beasts with which Paul's great-grandfather began the herd a hundred years ago.
07:39I think it felt like my destiny.
07:42There was no way I was going to ever escape.
07:45It's my family heritage. It's part of the Isle of Wight.
07:48I'm proud of what we've achieved.
07:50The rest of the family are just as invested as Paul.
07:55Wife Chris and Paul's sister Louise also work on site full-time, running the cafe and shop.
08:02It's really quite windy today.
08:05Need to make sure it's quite well attached.
08:08And this year will be particularly special for the family as they celebrate a big anniversary.
08:17Because it's our centenary year here at Brigglesworth Farm, we've ordered some special bunting.
08:23So we're all ready for the summer season.
08:27Just there for now, Lou, I think. Yeah, that's good.
08:31As the family prepares for the months ahead, Chris is joining husband Paul for one of the biggest dates in their farming calendar.
08:41It's springtime!
08:44It's a great day. We're going to let the cows out into the field for the first time this spring.
08:50In a minute, they are going to be pretty excited, I think.
08:52I think they will be, as soon as they get a sniff of that grass.
08:57The anticipation on their faces.
08:59Even though they're snug and happy in the barn all winter, they like to get out and, you know, have a good rush around and enjoy life.
09:09These cows form the milking herd which Paul and Chris rely on for their income.
09:15So ensuring their happiness is a top priority here.
09:24I love the cows. They're very beautiful. They're all gorgeous Guernseys.
09:30The taste of spring is just feet away from the yard as all 130 of these lovely ladies jockey for pole position by the gate.
09:45They look excited, don't they?
09:48For five long months, the herd have been wintered in their shed.
09:52Now, at last, they're about to feel wet grass under hoof and enjoy the freedom of open fields.
10:01Later, spring has truly sprung for the Guernseys.
10:06It's like letting children out to play. They're on their way.
10:11And things are heating up at the steam railway.
10:15Get a fire going in there, bring her up to pressure and we'll be away on our trial run.
10:19And hopefully, everything's going to be working well.
10:22It's a big day for everyone, I think.
10:38Across the island, the promise of spring infuses the wildlife with renewed energy and purpose.
10:44Out on chalky grasslands, newborn lambs skip excitedly under the watchful eyes of the grazing flock.
10:54While in the forests, flashes of copper glint through the branches as the resident red squirrels collect leaves and wood for their drays.
11:03On Briddlesford farm, Paul and Chris Griffin are about to enjoy one of the most rewarding events in their calendar year.
11:20After five months under shelter, their prized 130-strong Guernsey herd are leaving their winter barn.
11:27It's like letting children out to play. They're on their way.
11:36What a sight. Paul's herd gleefully running towards a tasty open-air buffet of fresh Isle of White grass.
11:45Very good, yeah. It's a high point of the year on a dairy farm.
11:52Oh, I just love to see them frolicking along.
11:55They are like little spring lambs.
11:57For Paul and Chris, to see these ladies tucking into the pasture is the perfect start to their spring.
12:07We try and get milk from grass, from fresh-grazed grass.
12:10So the more efficiently we can utilise the grass, that's the cheapest food we can give them and it's the best quality.
12:15This is the first fresh grass they've had since last autumn really.
12:26It's a real privilege and a responsibility to look after this herd on the island.
12:32And I just hope that we can keep it going for the next hundred years.
12:36By mid-afternoon, all 130 of Paul's Guernsey girls are calmly making their way inside.
12:50They're looking forward to being milk now.
12:57Go on then, girls.
12:59This parlour is the beating heart of the farm.
13:06Work our way down the line.
13:12Check the milk looks alright.
13:16I'm looking for a good colour and no clots.
13:21The milk from Guernsey cows is particularly high quality.
13:25It's very high in butter, fat and protein.
13:28It's got a lovely creamy flavour and a golden colour.
13:31Twelve at a time, the cows file into place and once they're ready, the high-tech equipment does the rest.
13:41There's less manual work but then there's more work to do in total.
13:55We're looking after more animals and we're trying to drive efficiency and productivity all the time.
13:59It's the same as any other business.
14:02When I was young, I used to love, you know, working a sweat up and doing physical labouring.
14:09I think the older I get, the nicer it seems to do.
14:13A little bit less of that.
14:15Quite like my machinery now.
14:16Though Paul's main focus is maintaining the output of the farm, he's very aware that he's now caring for the last remaining herd of Guernseys here on the island.
14:29People do appreciate what we do.
14:33We're extremely proud of it.
14:34But if we were ever to lose this herd of cows for whatever reason, I think that would be a tragedy for the Isle of Wight.
14:43And you may never see the same thing again.
14:47Even in the depths of March, the mild maritime climate bears down gently on the locals.
15:03Many claim whatever the weather on the mainland, it's sure to be better on the island.
15:08And that's never more true than at the southern coastal resort of Ventnor.
15:14Sheltered by the downs from the north winds, its sunny shores have made it a firm hit with holidaymakers since Victorian times.
15:23And its near Mediterranean conditions have allowed something magical to occur.
15:29Vibrant cacti, towering palms and spiky agaves thrive in these botanical gardens,
15:36now under the watchful eye of curator Chris Kidd.
15:41The opportunity here was one that comes along once in a lifetime,
15:45and so that's to make a botanic garden almost from scratch.
15:48This garden is five degrees warmer than other gardens within the UK.
15:52These plants would normally require glass house conditions.
15:57Raised in Portsmouth, Chris's gardening expertise has taken him around the world.
16:02But 23 years ago, he brought his skills to the island and never looked back.
16:08My family on my mother's side all came from the Isle of Wight,
16:11and so in many ways it was almost like coming home.
16:13Both my kids were born over here. It's a great place to live.
16:20In the 19th century, this site was a hospital.
16:24Patients with tuberculosis were brought here to breathe in the warm island air,
16:28believing it would cure them of their ailments.
16:34Now visitors to this tropical paradise can take in the sights and smells of 6,000 plant species from across the world.
16:45So this is the arid part of the garden. These plants are desert plants.
16:48So everything we're looking at here was a seed just 15 years ago.
16:52And in this climate, with the heat that we have in the summer
16:55and the moisture that we have at this time of year, they're growing really fast.
16:59The team is preparing for another busy season.
17:04Righto, Indy.
17:07We're going to go climbing up the Washingtonias,
17:10taking some of the lower branches off.
17:11But aside from a spruce up along the paths, Chris's gardening methods are very much hands-off.
17:23Plants behave as they would do in the wild.
17:26That means leaving seed heads behind, so I'm clipping them off.
17:30But in fact, we'll leave them behind so they can seed into the ground and grow away again,
17:35where they want to grow rather than where we wanted them to grow as gardeners.
17:38With this style, we get many things that come along with it.
17:41So the natural fungi from these areas has turned up spontaneously.
17:48Visitors are transported around the world in these 22 acres of wild gardens,
17:54with only the most eagle-eyed spotting Chris's helping hand on the landscape.
17:59This was a very difficult area to work with, very, very steep,
18:02and so we had to create artificial rocks in order to give some shape and texture to the whole area.
18:07These were created on top of buses that we brought in from a scrapyard
18:12and added layers and layers of texture across the top,
18:16which is now growing wild lichens and mosses.
18:19You wouldn't know that they were here.
18:20They blended in completely into the environment.
18:24His modern technique has proved such a success.
18:28His dream has come to fruition in little more than 20 years.
18:31The thing about Capability Brown, when he put his landscapes in, he knew he'd never see them.
18:39It would be his grandchildren and beyond.
18:41With the speed of growth here, it's something that's realistic to see within a career.
18:45To see something that you grew from a seed into a magnificent thing like this, no, it's a profound thing.
18:50I feel a personal connection with every single part of this garden.
19:00People ask what's my favourite part of the garden, and it happens to be wherever I'm stood when anybody asks.
19:05Soon these prized plants will spring into their vibrant summer colours, and once again proudly earn their place as treasured island jewels.
19:16The seasons may be changing, but on this bewitching island, there's a timelessness that hangs in the air,
19:34preserving rich customs and traditions that have all but disappeared in modern life.
19:38Over in the northeast of the island, in the village of Haven Street, a part of Victorian England remains very much alive.
19:51One of the most popular visitor attractions here is the Isle of Wight steam railway, puffing passengers up and down five miles of track,
20:02pulled along by one of their beautifully restored locomotives.
20:05Run by a small paid team and an army of passionate volunteers, everyone involved has been enchanted by steam trains since a young age.
20:20Former army officer Tony Barry is no exception. He's one of the train drivers here.
20:27I've been doing it almost 30 years now. I first worked here as a 14 year old.
20:30It was just something I suppose like happens to people, you get hooked.
20:37The steam engine was the driving force behind Britain's industrial revolution.
20:43The first steam railway line on the Isle of Wight opened in 1862, connecting Cowes to Newport.
20:49At its busiest, there were 55 miles of track across the island.
20:55Tony cares deeply about keeping that story alive.
20:59The carriages that we've got over here, the youngest one of those is 99 years old.
21:04It's been hauled by an engine built perhaps in the 1870s.
21:08What better heritage experience could you get? It's fantastic.
21:10This loco is called Waggoner. She's a former British Army train and for the last few years has been undergoing extensive renovations.
21:24The guys in the works team have done a huge amount of work to get an engine like that fully operational and ready for another ten or so years service.
21:33For Tony, a former military man, there's an extra special resonance about bringing this ex-Army engine back to life.
21:44It's a good feeling to be once again out there at the controls of some big impressive Army equipment.
21:51Tony's not the only one enthralled by locomotives.
21:58Dan was part of the team who restored Waggoner.
22:01I've always enjoyed railways. Anything to do with steam.
22:06Getting a job here is a bit of a life ambition, shall we say.
22:10Island-born Tristan is a signalman and guard on the railway.
22:14I started when I was 14 as a platform porter.
22:20I feel most proud when I see a young kid walk up on the platform and go look at that beautiful steam engine.
22:27Andy, the rolling stock manager, led the team that overhauled Waggoner.
22:33To restore this, we've been working on it for about four years now.
22:37There's been riveting, welding, all sorts of metalworking to get it back to this standard.
22:45I've helped do a lot of work on her, including different parts with the boiler.
22:49This is a very exciting, very big moment to see her run down the line.
22:53And after four years of team effort, Waggoner's first test run is planned for tomorrow.
23:00Andy is helping Dan with the final adjustments.
23:03There we go.
23:09Is that almost tight?
23:12You've got the inch width.
23:13Yep, there's a spanner.
23:15A couple of quick taps.
23:18Lovely.
23:22What we've got to do now is get Waggoner out of the shed.
23:24We're going to get a load of wood up on the footplate and light the warming fire,
23:28bringing her gradually up to temperature ready to run her tomorrow in steam.
23:34Using a diesel engine, they slowly shunt Waggoner into the daylight,
23:39showing off the glory of her beautiful new paintwork.
23:45Next, Dan lights the warming fire.
23:48Finally, they load up on coal.
23:55Tomorrow morning, we'll be back here first thing, get a fire going in there, bring her up to pressure,
24:01and we'll be away on our trial run.
24:03And hopefully, everything's going to be working well.
24:05It's a big day for everyone, I think.
24:07Later, it's full steam ahead in the countryside.
24:17Hand brakes off, and we're ready to go.
24:20But down at the harbour, Mike's got that sinking feeling.
24:24I'm a bit concerned that I might have taken a chunk out of the bottom of the boat.
24:36With over 60 miles of rugged coastline, the many tidal inlets, brackish estuaries,
24:42and shallow bays around the island are a welcome haven for countless species of fish.
24:49Although a year-round fishing destination, early spring is the slowest time in the silvery white waters.
24:56At the island's most easterly point is the coastal resort of Bembridge.
25:03Mike Curtis runs the local fishmongers here.
25:07His boat's been moored in the marina for the past two months,
25:11and today, he's come to get it ready for a new season of sea bass fishing.
25:16Between January and May, the fish breed.
25:19So, for two months, the fishery's completely closed and left alone,
25:24so the stocks are really healthy and grind rapidly round these waters.
25:29Mike needs his boat in ship-shape condition for the fishing season's start in a few days' time.
25:36They hope to land around 100 kilos per day at the peak of the season to turn a profit.
25:43So, he's getting her out of the water for a thorough inspection and essential maintenance work.
25:49Perfect. Keep the power on, Mike.
25:53And he's being helped ashore by boatyard owner Jim.
25:56Little more. Little more.
25:59Perfect.
26:05The boat hasn't been out of the water for seven months,
26:09and Mike's worried about what he might find.
26:12During the summer, there's a causeway here that joins the fort to the land,
26:17and the bass swim over it, but it's very, very shallow,
26:20and one day, I got too excited catching the fish, and I bumped the bottom there,
26:24so I'm a bit concerned about that, to be honest.
26:27My lovely engine. Scratch. Look at it on this side. I've scratched it.
26:32A few little dings there, see that? Nothing major.
26:35A little file up will be fine.
26:37Thankfully, only superficial damage, but there's still work to be done here.
26:40I can't believe the amount of barnacles that are growing on the bottom of this.
26:45This is a fish finder, so it sends sonic waves down to the bottom,
26:50and it bounces up and deciphers whether it's fish or not.
26:54This probably explains why I didn't catch any fish at the end of the season.
26:57There you go, Mike. Cheers.
26:58For your boots. Thank you very much, mate.
27:03Lock and load. Lock and load.
27:11It's pretty dirty.
27:13I'm amazed how she moved forward about a weed that's grown on it.
27:16It's incredible.
27:18With the sonar finally free of debris...
27:24There we go.
27:25All out the water.
27:27Wife Ruth and youngest daughter Jess now join Mike
27:30and are primed for the final stage of maintenance.
27:37Right then. Roller.
27:39Is that easier than a brush?
27:40Yeah.
27:41I'm going for the easy option, please.
27:47Actually, it goes on quite easily, doesn't it?
27:49Yeah.
27:55The boat is a very important part of what we do,
27:58because, you know, our customers love the fact
28:01that Mike catches bass and mackerel on this boat.
28:04Right, I've done there. How are you getting on down here?
28:07I don't know. What do you think of the blue?
28:08I like the blue, but you've missed quite a lot there.
28:11Come on, old man, keep on.
28:12That's the old man.
28:14It does look smart, actually, doesn't it?
28:16Yeah. It looks really nice.
28:18Good job done.
28:19Good job. Yeah, well done. Brilliant.
28:20Fresh fish are the lifeblood of this family business.
28:24With the start of the bass fishing season just days away,
28:28the countdown is on to get Mike's boat buoyed up and back in the water.
28:36In the summer months, the soft golden sounds of the many island resorts
28:41are a magnet for holidaymakers,
28:43who come to soak up the glorious sunshine
28:46and cool down in crystal clear seas.
28:48But off-season, the Isle of Wight plays host to tens of thousands
28:53of international visitors of a different kind.
28:57Black-tailed godwit, teal and brent geese are among the rich array of seabirds
29:04who travel thousands of miles from cold Arctic regions
29:08to seek sanctuary here in the mild winter months.
29:11And at the Newtown Nature Reserve,
29:13its fellow international resident, Julie Sims,
29:17ensuring these migrants get the warm welcome and protection they deserve.
29:21I'm from Canada.
29:23But yeah, we moved here because my husband's from the UK.
29:26There's so much wildlife here.
29:28The more I come and the more I learn about the islands,
29:31the more appreciation I have for it.
29:32Julie is a ranger for Bird Aware Solent, a group with the simple mission of protecting the habitat of native and migratory species seeking refuge here.
29:47This mud is a lifeline for the birds.
29:53It's absolutely teeming with invertebrates, absolutely invaluable for our overwintering migrants.
29:59Just spotted some red-breasted mergansars, which are a kind of diving duck.
30:06They're quite beautiful birds because they have a serrated bill which they can use to hold onto slippery fish.
30:11Preserving these wetlands ensures the future survival of precious species of bird life, including the dark-bellied Brent goose.
30:23They're storing energy in preparation for a 3,000-mile journey back to Siberia.
30:28That's why it's so important that they're left to feed and rest undisturbed.
30:32Many breeds have caught wind of this protected patch.
30:38In recent times, the Mediterranean gulls have decided it's a great spot to bring up their young.
30:44We used to see a Mediterranean gull once in a blue moon, and it was quite exciting.
30:49At the moment, I'm looking at about 80 of them.
30:52And I think they had four breeding pairs of Mediterranean gulls on that island.
30:56As the last winter migrants embark on their epic journey, this landscape will come alive again with the arrival of summer migrants.
31:05They'll journey north to nest on these shores and continue the rich cycle of bird life, which makes this island a wonder of nature.
31:14Tucked away among rich woodlands and sprawling farmland, the springtime tranquility in Haven Street is broken only by the heartening sound of one of the village's proudest attractions.
31:31At the steam railway, the team is busy getting Waggoner, the loco, ready for her first test run after a four-year-long overhaul.
31:45It's still early, and nothing happens quickly in the world of steam trains.
31:52Dan, the fireman, is preparing a fire in Waggoner's firebox.
31:58It'll be a couple of hours before the water pressure is high enough for her to roll down the tracks.
32:04The first test is going to be just the engine on its own, and once we pass that test, hook up to the carriages,
32:11and it'll be Waggoner's first passenger train since 2015.
32:15With the fire slowly building, Dan begins to add coal, which will raise the temperature of the boiler
32:25and build enough pressure to start the engine rolling.
32:31I'm out there doing the same job with the same equipment as my predecessors were doing well over 100 years ago.
32:39You don't get a better experience than that.
32:41The steam's building, and after four years of renovations, Waggoner is almost ready to go.
32:52Pressure's lovely. She's sitting there just above 140. She's happy.
32:56Just got to wait for the all clear now.
32:59They don't have to wait long.
33:02All clear, Dan. Clear by side.
33:07Handbrake off, please, Dan.
33:08Handbrake off, please, Dan.
33:10Handbrake off.
33:12And we're ready to go.
33:14Put her into gear.
33:24Oh, that's good. Just like I remember.
33:26Waggoner's 17-square-foot firebox burns through a ton of coal a day, and was a powerhouse built for shunting rather than speed.
33:39She couldn't clear any speed.
33:50She couldn't clear any speed.
33:53Lovely.
33:55Yeah, I'm happy. She's lovely.
33:56Perfect.
33:58With the first run a success, it's time to hook up the carriages and see how she gets on with a heavy load.
34:12Waggoner will be pulling five carriages, weighing almost 115 tonnes.
34:17There you go.
34:21You can feel that she's got a bit of weight behind her, but for an engine like this, this is easy meat. It's designed to take 500 tonnes easily.
34:32With seam engines, a lot of it's done by feel and sound. You can hear what's going on. You feel what's going on through your hands on the controls and through your feet on the floor.
34:50Pulling back into the station after a successful day of testing, Tony is delighted with how well this magnificent old loco has responded.
35:06It's been a bit of a busy couple of days getting Waggoner ready for a first run out. Everything's as it should be. It was absolutely running along there. No problem at all. Fantastic engine.
35:15The Isle of Wight steam railway has a busy summer ahead. With Waggoner passing her test to return to full service, she'll be pulling passengers up and down the rail tracks of this beautiful island for many years to come.
35:32Later, it's carving time at Riddlesford Farm.
35:41This girl's pretty close, and I think it's going to be the one down here behind the trough, but I am famous for getting it wrong.
35:49And Mike is making waves down at the harbour.
35:52Shall we go and take her out for a fern? Sounds good to me. Let's do it.
36:02At the Griffin family farm in Briddlesford, the Guernsey cows are enjoying the change of season.
36:16Not all the cows are mixed with the main herd, so Paul makes several visits a day to see how they're doing.
36:23These younger ladies are kept separate until they're mature enough to take on their role as a milker.
36:32Yeah, these are six-month-old Guernsey heifers, and these will join the milking herd next year when they carve for the first time at around two years old.
36:46They look great. Really nice group of Guernsey heifers, these are.
36:50Glad to see them all come up and feed. They're all hungry. They're all in good shape.
36:54These are the future.
36:57For dairy herds, successful breeding is critically important, and the cycle of new life is most evident here in the spring.
37:06This is a nursery. They've all been fed this morning, so they're quiet now. They're all having a sleep.
37:15This is a little girl. At the moment we're hand feeding these and training them to drink milk out of a bucket.
37:29Good girl.
37:31Across the yard, Paul is joined by wife Chris as they check in on the farm's very own labour ward.
37:47This pen, we've got the cows that are due to carve, so I want to keep a close eye on these, check these, well, several times a day.
37:56One or two of them are very close now. At the moment I can see they're all pretty calm.
38:02This girl's pretty close.
38:05And I think...
38:10It's going to be the one down here behind the trough, but I am famous for getting it wrong.
38:16They always catch you out.
38:19Very often it's Chris that wakes me up in the night and says,
38:23I can hear something, you'd better go and have a look.
38:27They don't make a lot of noise, but you can hear that, you know, they know there's something going on.
38:33You've got to be on call 24 hours a day.
38:36You know, if we need to intervene, it doesn't matter what time it is. It makes no difference.
38:41In the next pen along, a reminder of what makes all the late nights and early mornings worthwhile.
38:48A new arrival.
38:51This cow carved two days ago.
38:54She's had a Guernsey heifer calf.
38:57She's the youngest animal on the farm at the moment.
39:03It's so lovely to see a newborn calf with its mother.
39:07This is the future of our herd.
39:10That's what farming is all about.
39:12That's what we're looking for.
39:15For Paul, Chris and the rest of the family, new life is a definite cause for celebration.
39:22Honouring the legacy left by Paul's great-grandfather.
39:26The year ahead is off to a very promising start.
39:31It's a fantastic place to live and work. It really is. Life is good.
39:37In Bembridge, shoreline clouds drift in spring blue skies, while down below, the birds on the harbour water enjoy their last few weeks of peace before the frantic activity of the summer.
39:56Here we go.
39:57At the boatyard, Mike's boat has had a full service and the paint is dry.
40:01Looks good. Yeah.
40:05Eldest daughter Izzy is joining her parents for today's pre-fishing season test drive.
40:12It's nice of you to turn up now.
40:14When it's all done.
40:15When it's all done.
40:16The boat is my dad's favourite child, I think.
40:19Cause obviously, like, fishing is his favourite thing and without the boat there wouldn't be a business and he wouldn't be able to do what he loves every day.
40:26All we've got to do now is get her in the water.
40:28Yeah.
40:29And get out fishing.
40:30Happy days.
40:32After all the hard work, Mike doesn't want any damage en route to the water.
40:38Just got to make sure that we get off the trailer safely without scratching my lovely paintwork and we should be fine.
40:45Hopefully the engine will start up okay first time.
40:49Let's get on.
40:50Yeah, ready to go, Tom.
40:52It's crucial this launch goes well.
40:54The family run fishmongers relies on Mike's catches to help keep the business afloat.
41:01With the season starting in just a few days time, Mike needs to get out fishing at the earliest opportunity.
41:07So it's into the water.
41:10And time to see how she runs.
41:14It's pretty good.
41:15I'm really, really happy with her so far.
41:16Touch wood.
41:17It's all going pretty well I think.
41:20Forward's working.
41:21Always helpful.
41:22She definitely seems to be running nicely.
41:23Yeah.
41:24In shape.
41:25Yeah.
41:26Yeah, everything seems to be ship shape.
41:27And I'm really pleased with everything so far.
41:28Good old boat is as shiny as she ever was.
41:32It's a big relief for Mike, and the family.
41:33So it's all going to be in shape.
41:34That's the full boat.
41:35It's all going pretty well.
41:36That's the full boat.
41:37Yeah, I think it's all going pretty well, I think.
41:38Yeah.
41:39It's all going pretty well, I think.
41:40Forwards working, always helpful.
41:41No, she definitely seems to be running nicely.
41:42Yeah.
41:43Yeah, everything seems to be ship-shaped.
41:44And I'm really pleased with everything so far.
41:45Good old boat, it's as shiny as she ever was.
41:50it's a big relief for mike and the family business and a rare moment of calm even though
42:01we're not actually going to go fishing today it's uh it's great to be out on the water again
42:05on a lovely sunny day on the island white you know it's fantastic should we go and take her
42:10out for a burn sounds good to me let's do it with the boat up and running and the summer
42:16sunshine just over the horizon the curtis family are looking forward to another bumper
42:22holiday season and the promise of many more fishing trips to come
42:34it's been a busy spring on the isle of wight bursting with new life don't they look happy
42:40that they're all outside and old traditions
42:47time breaks off and we're ready to go the seasons may be changing but nothing can alter the enduring
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