Creatures and Curiosities of the River Severn (4K Documentary)

Britain is home to some of the most spectacular rivers in the world. That is fantastic. Each one with a character of its own. I love this. As life goes, this isn't bad. I could get used to this. I'm on a journey to explore six of our most iconic. I love this bridge. The river's an amazing resort. Passing some picture postcard villages. Oh yes. Oh no! Stunning countryside. It's magical, isn't it? And historic houses. Look at the view. Along the way, I'll be meeting the people. Have you noticed no motorways? And the wildlife, just you'll see, that call these rivers home. Oh it's really close, really close now. So join me as we uncover. Cheers. Tales from the Riverbank. This time, I'm taking on an epic river. This is the Magnificent Seven. And no, I am not talking about the classic western. I'm talking about the longest river in the UK. And arguably, it's most important. From a brook flowing through the Welsh Cambrian mountains, running into the English countryside, along a course of 220 miles, all the way to Bristol, the Seven covers a lot of ground. This is a rich source for so many tales from the Riverbank. The stretch I'll be exploring runs from the Welsh border to the Bristol Channel. I'll be at the helm of a narrowboat. It's like driving a very, very long car. Sampling local delicacies on the Riverbank. The pie is the limit. Brilliant. I'll discover the mysterious ghost ships. What we've got here is the largest ship's graveyard in the country. And you can feel the hair on the back of your neck come up. And finally, arrive in Bristol and the shores of the Seven Estuary. My adventure begins in beautiful Shropshire, in its historic county town. Shrewsbury is the first major town that the River Seven encounters. And this is a place that's almost entirely enclosed by the Seven. So it makes sense to start the journey on the water. It's the perfect place from which to learn a bit more about it. As the Seven loops almost in a complete circle around the town, I've hopped aboard the Sabrina with owner Dilwyn, who's been showing passengers the riverside landmarks for the last 13 years. Well, Dilwyn, I'm rather liking this as a luxurious, glamorous way to enjoy Shrewsbury. This lovely vessel is called Sabrina. It is. Who was Sabrina? Sabrina was the old Roman name for the River Seven. Oh. Yes. Oh, wow. And this is your passion. It's your business. Why did you want to get involved in the river cruise world? Do you know it was a real accident? Actually, I saw an advert and I went, well, that sounds interesting. And we went up to see them and came back with a boat. Quite extraordinary, really. So you've not been a river man before? Never been. What? No, I know. It's quite crazy, really. But I do love water. And I like the idea of being really integral to the town because the river in Shrewsbury literally is right the way around the town. And have you learned a lot about the river itself and also the history of the town? I have. It is interesting. Shrewsbury is over 1,100 years old. It was the third most important township in the country behind London and York because of the river, because that was all the transportation of goods and services along the river. So it's a fascinating town. There's a lot to take in at this leisurely pace. Shrewsbury is crammed with well over 600 listed buildings. And as you would expect from a town that's enclosed by the river, plenty of old bridges, nine in total. So which bridge is this? So this is the Welsh Bridge. The boundaries have moved a lot over the years. But that used to be England on this side and then Wales on the other side. So up here, what have we got? So we've got St Chad's Church. Oh, yeah. Circular church. It's amazing. That's extraordinary. This side here, if you look up above us here... Yeah. Oh, yeah. Is that the school? That's Shrewsbury School. So they had some famous old boys. Michael Heseltine. Yeah, Michael Palin. John Peel, the DJ. Dilwyn's certainly hot on his history. But there's another side to this stretch of the Severn that I can appreciate. Listen to the sound. We've suddenly got into birdsong country, haven't we? It's such a serene way to see a busy town. What a great place to live and work, though. And I love the fact you're so passionate about sharing it. To show everyone how fantastic Shrewsbury is and how much fun we can have on the river is special, isn't it? Yeah, it's a lovely thing. It's a lovely thing to do. It's a shame to leave. Love it when you just get enough sun that the reflections start to appear because it's like having a double view. And I am certainly not the only one to have been inspired by this river and this landscape. One of Britain's most outstanding figures of the 19th century grew up by this riverbank. None other than Charles Darwin. Rightly, they are incredibly proud of the fact that he was born here. But equally, his mind was educated by the surrounds in which he found himself. And that's what eventually led to him writing on the origin of species, which changed the whole world's viewpoint about how we evolved. Perched above the River Severn, the Mount was Darwin's family home. And over the next few years, this Georgian house and its gardens will be restored. Managing the project is John. Hi there. Hi Claire, welcome to Darwin House. Fantastic. My first house at school was called Darwin. Is that right? Yeah. Wow. And this is where he was born? He was indeed. He was born in the room just up above us here. He was the fifth of six children. The house was built for his father, Robert, about 1798. And it originally stood in seven acres of beautiful grounds. He said of himself, I was born a naturalist. And it's here that he learned those skills. How fantastic. The grounds here are yet to be restored, but they run right down to the riverbanks. It really is exciting to be walking in Darwin's footsteps by the Severn. So the bank, as the Darwin family called it, was a series of terraced walks. And that area was where Charles, as a young boy, was known to kind of walk solitary walks and to play. So this was his playground, as well as his classroom, if you like. He had a different way of looking at the world. And certainly as a child, you know, he loved to observe nature here. I imagine him lying on his tummy, just looking at insects and marveling at the fascinating natural world that was literally on his doorstep. Being here, I can appreciate how important this part of the riverbank was. And I can see exactly why it captured Darwin's interest and remained with him, even when he was thousands of miles away on his journey of discovery. Sitting here in Darwin's garden, I'm trying to think great thoughts. My mind is whirring and full of everything I've seen and learnt. But also my tummy's going, oh, I'm really hungry. So I'm going to try a Shrewsbury delicacy, because this is a Shrewsbury or Shrewsbury biscuit. Really good with a cup of tea. Kind of cake, kind of a biscuit. It's often filled with dried fruit. The Shrewsbury cake has been eaten on the banks of the Severn for centuries. It's really nice because it's actually got this really soft bit in the middle. See, that's what great minds need. They need the setting, they need to be able to walk, and they need food. Mine is not a great mind, I'll just make that clear. But it has fuelled me for the next leg of my journey down river, where I'll discover one of its treasures. Spanning the Severn sits Ironbridge, a modern wonder of the world. And I'll be going back in time... You've stepped back into 1900. ..to experience riverside life for a Victorian lady. I think you look like a fearsome matriarch. That is the look I am going for. I'm following the journey of the River Severn, as it heads downstream from its source in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, becoming one of the widest rivers in the country at its mouth near Bristol. Leaving behind Shrewsbury, the Severn wiggles its way through the Shropshire countryside. Here, the river passes the impressive Bildwas Abbey, before arriving in one of the most historically important regions of not only the country, but the world. By the end of the 17th century, the Severn had become the second busiest river in Europe, and towns along the banks like this one were thriving. In fact, this one became so important and historic that it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the famous town of Ironbridge, and guess how it got its name? As the name suggests, it is centred around a bridge made of iron. Not just any old bridge made of iron. The very first cast-iron bridge anywhere in the world, and as such, it is a modern wonder of the world and a really important symbol of the Industrial Revolution. When it opened in 1781, the bridge was a spectacular showcase of the potential of iron as a material, and of course, a route over the river. Almost 250 years later, it is still just as impressive. From the day it was built, this was always a toll bridge. You can see the prices behind me. They're dependent on whatever vehicle you're in. Even if it was a sedan chair, you'd get charged. The animals that you brought over would also be chargeable, and I love this bit. Even if you're a member of the royal family, you come over this bridge, you will pay. Luckily, nowadays, you can walk over it for free. And many do, every day, as well as pass under it on the Mighty Seven. People come here from all over the world and not just to admire the bridge. They've obviously clearly heard about Ely's of Ironbridge, and I'm just going to test this theory. Are they world-famous hand-raised pork pies, or are they telling porkies? Oh, Claire. The shop was bought by Tim Ely in the 1960s, and today it's run by his son, Richard. Hello. Hi there. I was rather intrigued by your sign, because I want to know about the world-famous bit. I don't want to walk in and say, prove it, but... World-famous pork pies, yes, yeah. Well, back in the 80s, we had a lot of Australians coming in, saying that they'd seen us on the telly. They said to us, you know, you're world-famous, so hence the world-famous. The Queen's had our pork pies for her jubilee. Oh, yeah. And we also won the UK's best pork pie from Jamie Oliver. There we go. I accept that proof. You know, pretty much with royal approval. Pretty much, yeah. That's very good. The pie's the limit. Very good, Richard. I suppose I'd better try a pie. There is only one problem. I've never been a massive fan of pork pies. Ah, well, we're going to have to try and change that. I'm told they're made from an old family recipe, in the traditional way. The cases are shaped around a wooden dolly. Uncured pork is added. Then they're baked and filled with bone stock jelly. Hmm. I'm stealing myself for this. I would say, when you're eating a pork pie, if you eat the top of it, so you get some pastry, some meat and some jelly. And then I can... Caramelised onion chutney is a favourite. That's it. And then I've got to bite down from the top, is what you're saying. That's it. Yeah, yeah. So you get a bit of everything. My mouth's not very big. I always struggle with this sort of thing. Nobody's looking. Brilliant. Works, doesn't it? It really does. That was absolutely delicious. And with that caramelised onion chutney. Thank you very much. Yeah. Top work. Thank you very much. Glad you've enjoyed it. Thank you very much. People seem keen to keep old traditions alive along this stretch of the River Severn. This was a real working-class town, once home to families earning a living on the river and its nearby coal mines, as I'm about to discover. You get a wonderful sense of history in Ironbridge and I've talked a lot about how being by the river is timeless, but now I've got the opportunity to step into a specific era and step back in time. Just a stone's throw from Ironbridge, once connected to the Severn via a canal, is the time capsule that is Blists Hill, a place for visitors to come and experience life in Victorian Ironbridge. These exquisitely detailed buildings have been painstakingly moved brick by brick from the local area to recreate a typical working-class riverside town. There's the butchers, the bakers, the candlestick makers, alongside the pharmacy, the greengrocer, the local pub, and many others. Hello. This is something else and I love the outfit. Thank you very much. My guide is Joanne, but today she'll be going by the name Mrs Halstead. So Mrs Halstead, what year am I in now? You've stepped back into 1900. And the whole town is as it would have been? It is a recreation of a town as it would have looked in the East Shropshire Coalfield in 1900. And it is a town that is really strongly connected with the River Severn? Absolutely, yeah. So all of the raw materials that were being extracted from the ground in this area were being transported down the canal and out onto the river. So what is your character's life background? So I have spent many years working in the shops, but I've improved my circumstances and I'm a middle-class lady of leisure. And would you take up hobbies? Absolutely. I would be managing my household and creating a haven for my husband to come back to. Oh, right. So not actually doing anything that you might enjoy? Well, it depends if you like sewing. Not really, Mrs Halstead. I prefer to leave that to the professionals, like the ones just along the street here. So you could come in here and order anything to be made? If you could afford to, yes. But mostly they were selling just the fabric that you would need to make your own clothes. And the hats, can visitors buy these? They can. Oh, I see. And what's most popular? This style of hat here. Oh, is that a sort of Peaky Blinders look? Oh, yeah. I quite like that. And you can kind of go slightly to the side if you want. Oh, that's brilliant. Hats were a big deal because women all wore a hat. Certainly don't go outside without one on your head. And if you have a tan, there's an association with working out of doors, which means you're poor. So upper-class ladies would try and keep their complexion as pale as possible. Does that mean you have to all summer? Absolutely, yep. It's a bit harsh, isn't it? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm the one looking out of place here. I feel a costume change coming on. Right, no laughing. Wow. I'm transformed for the art of photography. And do I need to pose as well? Yes, so if you were a lady, generally you would be seated and obscuring your gaze. You're not looking straight down the lens. Usually you're looking at something, a book, a portrait. Right, so shall I sit? You may. Like a lady does. As a lady does. And knees to the side like that? Absolutely. And never showing your fingernails either. Oh. I knew I should have worn gloves. One, two, three. I was expecting something a little more traditional, but as if by Victorian magic, the photo is immediately up there on a flat screen. God, I look like my grandmother. I think you look like a fearsome matriarch. Well, yes, that's what I intend to look like. That is the look I am going for. To be honest, I may be a natural-born Victorian. Absolutely terrifying. I'm really thrilled with that. That may actually have to be my Christmas card. I do look a bit sour-faced. I think I need sweetening up and a sugar rush. And luckily for me, it's right on hand. Am I allowed to try some classic Victorian sweeties? Of course you may. Could I have liquorice also? Of course, yeah. Thank you very much. And how much would that have cost? Well, it would be quite a big chunk of your weekly budget. Okay, so this is a real extravagance. It is. Thank you so much. I've very much enjoyed my tour. Thank you for coming in. Well, it's been a short, sweet, but fascinating glimpse into the life of a riverside community on the Severn. It's such a great place, this, because you've got the mixture of genuine ruins from a brick and tiles work, the canal that would have led down to the river, and you've got the town set up to make you understand what it would have been like to live in 1900. But also, I'm going to hanker after that outfit. I think every time I have a photograph taken, I need to be wearing that hat. I'm going to insist on it. But for now, it's back to sensible attire for the next part of my journey along the Severn, where I'll try my hand at piloting a narrowboat. It's like driving a very, very long car. And you've got no brakes. Oh my God, I've got no brakes. And sample a rather unappealing Severn native. An eel, you know, we see it as a snake, and the British really haven't quite got to grips with it yet. You're going to make me eat it. I've been following the River Severn as it snakes its way through some of the country's most picturesque towns and villages. And now I'm in the midst of the Worcestershire countryside. Between Stourport and Gloucester, the Severn becomes navigable for a stretch of 43 nautical miles. So I've managed to hitch a lift on a narrowboat. And I have to say, my hosts are treating me very well, with a bloody Mary. The non-alcoholic type, I might add. I like the celery best, actually. Hello, ponies. This bit of the Severn heading towards Worcester is completely unspoiled. So all you can hear is the lapping of the water, the birds in the trees. You could be in Borneo. And as life goes, this isn't bad. I could get used to this. Narrowboats have been a familiar sight along the Severn for centuries, originally working boats for carrying goods along the canals. These days, they've become a thing of leisure. Terry and Tony regularly cruise customers up and down this stretch. So Terry, how would you sell the joys of being on a narrowboat? Freedom. Slow pace of life. You can calm down and relax. Never think about work. You have to concentrate on the boat all the time. And it's a lovely way to not just appreciate the river, but also to look at people's gardens. Yes, he knows it. He knows it. And have you noticed no motorways? No. No traffic jams. No nothing. No stress. How would you characterize the River Severn? It's a very enclosed river, but it's still, I feel, very green and very beautiful from that point of view. You can feel very cosy and it's very calm and very peaceful, you know. Oh, it's lovely. I'm loving it. And I'm not the only one. We've got a paddleboarder coming. And with dragon boat, by the looks of things. They do dragon boat. Yeah, I think that's what that is. That's good paddleboarding, though. She looks very steady. Nice stature. Hi there. Everyone seems to be mastering this river. And is it difficult, Tony? No, it's that simple. 10 minutes at the helm and you're an expert. So you're saying anyone can do it? Yes. We're here if it goes wrong. That's it, I trust you. That is all the reassurance I need. So what do you want me to do? Sit there? Yeah, sit on there. Look at the front of the roof. Right? Now, where you want that to go, just push the tiller one way or the other. Yeah, got it. Have I? It's taking quite a long time to react. Slightly further that way. One round, exactly. You're aiming to keep in the middle of the river, if you can. All right. Oh, jeez, there's going to be a boat coming in a minute and I'm giving it back to you. Yes. The best thing to do at this point in time is to push it both ways and see what happens. You've got the room to do it. No, there's a... Push it over. All right. Then pull it towards you. Come on. Back you come. It's like driving a very, very long car. I mean, like a very long car. And you have to remember that you're steering in the opposite direction. And you've got no brakes. And I have no... Oh, my God, I've got no brakes. That is literally the last thing I needed to hear. Shall I take it now, Claire? Yes. I think you should take over. There's traffic ahead. That was lovely, but I don't trust myself. You did very well. No, I didn't. You did very well. You did a lot better than many customers. I worry for your customers there. Well, as always, I tried. I have to say, I much prefer being the passenger. I can see Worcester. I can see the cathedral. Yeah? Yeah. And that lovely bridge. Look at those arches. I think that's the nice thing about the settlement. It does have the difference of the country. And then you've got some really nice town cities, such as Worcester. I've come to Worcester many times by train or by car. I've never approached it by river. And you get a different understanding of it, because in many ways, this is how it was designed to be seen. It's really lovely. And it marks the end of a very entertaining trip with Terry and Tony. Well, I've hugely enjoyed that. Thank you very much. I'm happier when you're doing the driving, Tony. But while Worcester is a lovely city to explore, it's not where I'm headed next. I'm making my way south, beyond Gloucester, where the Severn has become tidal. And its character has changed completely. The tidal range of the River Severn is the second largest in the world. It can reach 15 meters at speeds of between 8 to 13 miles per hour. And that means that every spring and every autumn, it sees one of the most extraordinary natural tidal events. The Severn Bore, as it's known, is one of the longest surfable waves in the world. And it draws thrill-seekers from far and wide, all desperate to tick it off the bucket list. This is also the point where the longest river in the country becomes one of the widest. The river continues to expand until it reaches the Severn Estuary. And it supports an incredibly diverse range of fish. There are 110 different species in that water. Which is good news for seafood lovers around here. And one business making the most of it is the Severn & Why Smokery, which has been trading on the riverbank for over 30 years. What a display you've got, Richard. This is amazing. Yeah, it's good. Thank you. Richard, who runs the smokery, supplies stores like Harrods, chefs like Gordon Ramsay, and the royal family. The Severn is a tremendous river. And little talked about, little known when it comes to fishery. If we look back through history, I mean, the Severn was so important, it was recorded as an asset in the Doomsday Book. And in our peak, this wild salmon fishery was truly massive. Well, we could take 30,000 fish in a season, all sent to London or to Birmingham for sale on the markets, yeah? And I thought that the fish from this area, I think, deserved more than that. So we decided to buy it, add value to it, smoke it, poach it, cure it, any way we could, start to tell the story of the Severn. Key to that story is a slippery, snake-like creature whose reputation Richard is determined to restore. An eel is little understood, little known. It was an important source of protein for the farm labourers. It was important to my family. But it has a profile image problem. You know, we see it as a snake, and the British really haven't quite got to grips with it yet. But we are going to turn that tanker. OK, you've sold it to me very well. I'm sort of intrigued now. Yep, and I know where this is going to go. Are you going to make me eat it? Oh, God! I knew it. Still, if I'm going to eat eel anywhere, it better be here. Right, Chef. Hello. Chef Mark has whipped me up a speciality of his. Mark, how do you like it, working with it, eating it? Oh, I absolutely love the eel. The lovely flavour kind of running through it, the smoke and the fattiness just really helps create these beautiful dishes. Right, let's see. This is smoked eel with a potato and celery risotto. Moment of truth. You can feel the nerves. A little bit of that, a little bit of that as well. Are we ready? That's lovely. Yeah, it's lovely. That is really good. Good. We're very pleased you liked it. Really good. Thank you very much. You're very welcome. You really enjoyed it. And that'll teach me to reach out of my comfort zone with food. But Richard's passion for these creatures goes beyond eating them. While those on the menu here are farmed, the European eel is a critically endangered species. And so he's doing his bit to conserve them. And I'm joining him to help nurture the stocks. These fish will be quite cool. So there will be a little bit of a thermal shock potentially for them, yeah? So we'll put our box on the water and we'll try and introduce them. Look, he was keen. Yeah, that one leapt over. So, your turn. Coming over. Over you come. Right. Don't fall over. So we'll flip the lid. You're in charge. Okay, hello little eels. And are you ready? Here comes the ditch. Oh, they're off. Okay. So how many am I releasing now? We've got around about 500 juveniles to release today. To reach maturity, they could be here between 15 and 18 years. And are they called glass eels because they're see-through when they're born? Yeah, when they arrive, they're completely glass-like and they're completely transparent. That's why they're called glass eels. Locally, they're known as alvars. So all these alvars have been born in the Sargasso Sea? Yeah, yeah. Is that the only place that eels breed or give birth? For our eel, yeah. So the eel that we find in the UK and in Europe, they all originate from the Sargasso. So they've already swum from there? It is just incredible. That's just nuts. Yeah. So they come over on the North Atlantic drift and they come around the Bay of Biscay, up around southern France. And of course, they come to God's country. They come to England and they come to the Severn, yeah. So they come on the Severn and they catch a big free ride on our tide, yeah. So our big bore tides in the spring, they wash those glass eels into our river, yeah. And that's where we catch them in handheld nets. So it's a big journey for them to get here. That is. These are little-known facts that make our rivers so special. My mind is truly blown by the idea that such tiny fish, living near the Caribbean, come all the way here and eventually back again. I had arrived here imagining that eels were nasty, slimy things in our seas and rivers and something I never wanted to eat. And now I am absolutely intrigued. There's nothing like having your preconceptions completely flipped. They've got all the way here from the Sargasso Sea, the tiny little glass things when they arrive. They're going to be 15 years in these channels and then they're going to head out to the Severn and hopefully live a long and fulfilling life. It's just incredible. Nature never ceases to amaze. And I'm not done yet. So next, I'm going to head to where all these little elvers come in, the Severn estuary. It's a bird watch in one of the richest wildlife habitats in Europe. A lot of people don't realise how fantastic the Severn estuary is. It's really glorious, actually. And I'll discover the mysterious ghost ships. But what we've got here is the largest ship's graveyard in the country. You can feel the hair on the back of your neck come up. The longest river in the country, the Severn, has brought me all the way from the Welsh border to the point where it flows into the Bristol Channel. I'm actually feeling quite sad because I know that means we're coming towards the end. This is where it gets tidal. We're coming into the Severn estuary. And it's a massive place, this. Not just for us, for humans, but for the wildlife. Hello, you lot. Safe travels. In fact, it's protected by international law because around 80,000 birds a year use the mudflats. They use the salt marshes as well. And that makes it one of the most important wildlife habitats in Europe. And I am meeting a woman who knows all about the birds that come here. Hey there. Oh, hi. It's ornithologist Maya Rose Craig. What an amazing spot. Beautiful here, I love it. And when the tide is out, presumably that is prime food. This is the best restaurant in town. A lot of people don't realise how fantastic the Severn estuary is because they see the mud and they don't realise that the mud is the most important thing that's going on here because it has so much food and it has so much life living in it. You have a wealth of wildlife just hanging out on the river. And one of the amazing things about you is you had seen half of the world's birds by the age of... 17, yeah. Wow. I mean, that is some going. Yes, it's a lot of birds. It's about 5,300 bird species. I'm glad I brought my binoculars. What would you be hoping to see today? The mud is very exposed at the moment. There's hopefully going to be lots of waders sort of creeping around at the edges. So we have quite a few black-headed gulls in front of us. Oh, this one's having a right good feed. I've seen a lot of really juicy worms being pulled out of the mud actually. Now, can we do better than hungry gulls? OK, flying in, flying in now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, grey heron, grey heron. Oh, landing right there as well. Oh, yeah. I love grey herons. I think they're really beautiful. This is more like it. We just saw an egret fly by. Ah, there it is. Do you see it? Yes. Look at the way that egret's walking through the water and you can really see the whole leg come right out. It's like a comedy walk, isn't it? It is, yeah. OK, so I can spot the birds. I just don't necessarily know what they are. OK, there is a long-billed something. OK, over in that direction. Yeah. Just beyond the second pile of rocks. Oh, yeah, yeah. Got it? That is a barred-tailed godbird. That is a really good spot. Thank you. That's what I was hoping for today. I'm so chuffed. Fantastic. Big bird review, yeah. It's like getting a good report from the teacher. I can see why Maya's being bitten by the birding bug. It's just such a lovely way to spend time and appreciate as well the richness of the river. Yeah. What it provides, not just for us, but for all of the bird life. No, absolutely. It's kind of, I feel like I'm looking out onto here and I'm seeing just a very rich tapestry of nature right in front of me. Yeah. Thank you. It's true, there's so much to see out there. But what few realise is what's right beneath us. Here at Purton, there's another hidden side to the Severn and, dare I say it, an eerie one. At first glance, this stretch of riverbank is the same as everywhere else on the Severn, but look a little more closely and you will see there are timber limbs growing up from the soil. And that is because here along this stretch of a mile and a half of one of the widest bits of the Severn, this is the largest ship graveyard anywhere in the country. But these aren't ship wrecks, as I'm about to discover. I'm meeting Paul, who's part of a team preserving them and has written a book about why on earth they're here. There is a ghostly eeriness about this place. Isn't it? You can feel the hair on the back of your neck come up. It has its own atmosphere. When did you first come here? Well, can you believe, as a kid, these things were a fantastic thing to climb about and my mother used to go white when she knew we were down here because, of course, you've got the second highest tidal range, the Severn, just there. You know, it's not a good place for a six, seven-year-old to be playing, but this was the place it was. And when did these wrecks arrive? All these boats, they came in 1962. With the purpose of securing the shoreline? I mean, the principal reason why all of these wrecks are here is to protect the sharpness of Gloucester Canal, just across the way there. The river here can push up to about 13 knots at this point and what actually happens is the river comes up, it splits in half along this sandbar, you see, right the way down the middle, see it? And it's at this point, ultimately, you know, they hit the bank and washed it away. Something had to be done and, of course, this is why these boats are here. Are you responsible for these? The Friends of Purton act as the sort of unofficial guardians of the site, so what we do is we conserve their memory. I'm relieved that the presence of these old barges is less sinister than I first thought, but looking around, I do still have questions. Excuse my ignorance here, but I'm looking at that going, it's a ship made of concrete, how does it float? If I had a pen... I know, every time someone said that. It's all to do with water displacement. Nobody ever questions a steel ship floats and yet you take a block of steel, you chuck it in the water, what happens? It sinks. Same thing with a brick, water displacement. I can't get over how fast that tide is coming in. The sandbar's going to disappear in a minute, isn't it? Well, I remember once as a child, you've heard of the seven eels, so what we do is we chase these eels across the sand, but unfortunately, unbeknownst to myself, this sand over here becomes an island, so there I was as a small child, now surrounded by water. Bet your mother tore a strip off you. She definitely did. I'm quite cross with you, Paul, and it's a long time since and you're not my child. Oh, well, there we go. It's quite remarkable that this riverbank is almost like a museum of maritime history. I find it extraordinary that we can walk right over the top and there is a ship underneath us and the remains that are left poking through, you can get up close and touch them. It is fascinating, isn't it? The fact that they're still here is a testimony, really, to their construction. Why do you think it is so worthy of protection? Well, what we've got here is the largest ship's graveyard in the country. It continues to conserve the bank. It continues to conserve the last remnant of our maritime heritage. I think it deserves a place in the world. You can tell how much Paul feels that this is a place that has to be protected and it's such a strange concept. The very idea that you would ram ships, concrete ships, into a riverbank and that that would give you protection, and it works because the canal is safe, the river is adapted, the wildlife loves it and it's just a really great place to be. This vast river has surprised and fascinated me at every stretch, right to its natural conclusion. And so here, the Seven Ends, as it leads off into the estuary and out to sea, it starts as a mere dribble in the mountains and finishes with an expanse of three miles or more. The two bridges, one built in 1966, the other in 1996, ensuring that rather than dividing England and Wales, they are actually connected. The first took three and a half years and its pioneering design changed bridge building forever. The second, at just over three miles long, was and still is the longest river estuary crossing in the UK. Both bridges are great monuments of civil engineering. And that seems an appropriate place to end because it is a river of industry, it's a place where things have been invented. That's extraordinary. Special, isn't it? It's a place that saw the birth of the man who came up with the theory of evolution. He was born a naturalist and it's here that he learned those skills. It is a river of real energy and imagination and that transmits to the people around it. A lot of people don't realise how fantastic the Severn Estuary is. It's really glorious, actually. It has been quite the adventure to sail the Severn.