Countryfile focuses on dales hay meadows

THE beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park will be featured in the BBC TV programme Countryfile this coming weekend.

Presenter John Craven has been out and about in Wharfedale exploring some of the breathtaking scenery and finding out about its people and its landscape.

He has also been learning about the Hay Time Project, which was launched by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) in 2006.

The project aims to transform 140 hectares of upland and lowland hay meadow to its former glory by encouraging farmers to revert to more traditional management. It also hopes to restore meadows that have lost some of their botanical diversity by spreading seed on them that has been collected from nearby good meadows.

As well as interviewing YDMT Hay Time Project Officer Pippa Rayner, he also finds out about the Yorkshire Dales Hay Time Festival in which organisations from all over the Dales have teamed up with the YDNPA and the YDMT to stage more than 70 separate activities throughout the summer to highlight the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the National Park’s hay meadows.

Series producer Teresa Bogan said: “Both John Craven and the production team were very excited about filming in Wharfedale, and finding out what the Yorkshire Dales has to offer. For John, this was a return to his childhood playground, so he was especially pleased.”

The programme – broadcast on BBC 1 on Sunday at 11am – also highlights the Dales Way, which stretches 76 miles from Ilkley to Windermere, and looks at some of the stunning geology of the area. On the 27 July Countryfile it will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special edition.

• Photo shows: Pippa Rayner, the YDMT Hay Time Project Officer, with John Craven. Please credit picture courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.