大象传媒

By Harriet Noble, presenter of Go Wild.

For all the wonders of a summer’s day, or the delights offered by spring and autumn, for me there’s nothing like venturing outside in cold and crisp winter. Your breath fogging in the air in front of you, the crackle of the frosted earth beneath your feet, and a chilly mist on the horizon… just writing this makes me want to throw on my coat and scarf and head into the great wintry outdoors. But even if you’d rather stay in the warm for now, let us bring the magic of cold weather to you with these additions to Go Wild, the place for nature documentaries to inspire your next outdoor adventure.

This lovely edition of Open Country explores how the Suffolk hamlet of Pin Mill has become a mecca to the craft of boat-building. Presenter Helen Mark sails in a wooden boat made by a father’s love; hears why constructing boats is akin to erecting the Great Pyramids of Egypt; and is immersed in the art and culture inspired by the pursuit. It’s a glimpse of a community enraptured by and dedicated to a timeless way of life.

I have to admit I was a little sceptical when I came across this episode of Ramblings about a strictly all-male walking group. Surely such gender-segregation has no place in 2019? But I was quickly proved wrong, as this is a charming tale of a group of Shropshire fathers who started a yearly walk on the winter solstice when their children were in primary school. It’s a story of friendships forged, how walking helps people through hard times, and the ways parenting and gender roles have changed over the past two decades. At the end the men agree that having presenter Claire Balding and her producer Lucy take part wasn’t so bad. Perhaps more women will be invited in the future.

Here we join wildlife sound recordist (what an enviable job title) Chris Watson on a mission to record starlings coming into roost for winter. Chris speaks fondly of his work, from tuning into the “secret languages” of birds to disguising his microphone in camouflage netting so it doesn’t scare off his winged targets. It all culminates with the “awesome display” of thousands upon thousands of starlings flying across the sky, as they find somewhere to settle down for the cold winter night.

If you go down to the woods of Somerset on a mid-January night, you might be in for a bit of a surprise. You’ll see locals singing to the trees, placing cider-soaked toast between branches and banging saucepans to ward off evil spirits. This is wassailing, a tradition aimed at “blessing” apple trees in order to ensure a good apple harvest, and perhaps more importantly a bumper supply of cider. This episode of Open Country takes us right into the midst of the revelling wassailers, and explains how important cider, and the cider apple, is to the West Country way of life.

Go exploring Devon’s beaches on a cold and windy day with this final part of Go Wild’s winter selection. Marine biologist Keith Hiscock takes presenter Trai Anfield around Bovisand Bay, stopping to admire barnacles, oysters and seaweed on the way. Listening to this with my eyes closed, I could almost be with them amid the sand, spray and seaside wildlife.