1
00:00:03,100 --> 00:00:07,580
Let's have a look where we are.
There's the abbey.

2
00:00:07,580 --> 00:00:11,620
We are heading straight for
the abbey.

3
00:00:11,620 --> 00:00:14,180
That sounded a bit funny,
didn't it? No.

4
00:00:15,380 --> 00:00:17,340
'I'm Timothy Spall.'

5
00:00:19,620 --> 00:00:21,020
Don't like that.

6
00:00:21,020 --> 00:00:22,900
'My wife and I, Shane,

7
00:00:22,900 --> 00:00:27,460
'left London six years ago
on a journey around Britain.

8
00:00:27,460 --> 00:00:31,980
'So far, we've navigated almost
1,800 miles.'

9
00:00:34,580 --> 00:00:36,860
That's not a nice noise.

10
00:00:38,020 --> 00:00:41,060
'But now, I'm worried we won't get
much further.

11
00:00:42,820 --> 00:00:46,540
'We've got trouble. Engine trouble.'

12
00:00:46,540 --> 00:00:48,420
I don't like that noise. It's fine.

13
00:00:48,420 --> 00:00:50,780
I've heard that before...
It's not fine.

14
00:00:50,780 --> 00:00:52,820
'Whitby is in sight.

15
00:00:52,820 --> 00:00:56,620
'With a nervous disposition,
and a dodgy engine,

16
00:00:56,620 --> 00:01:00,260
'we might as well be on the other
side of the world.'

17
00:01:00,260 --> 00:01:04,420
Are we about four miles away?
Just don't worry about it.

18
00:01:04,420 --> 00:01:07,700
I'm not worrying,
I'm just asking you.

19
00:01:07,700 --> 00:01:09,100
'Please don't fail us now, Matilda.'

20
00:01:15,380 --> 00:01:16,980
# Somewhere at sea. #

21
00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:30,420
Well, we've limped into Whitby.

22
00:01:32,540 --> 00:01:34,260
Could this be where our journey ends
this year?

23
00:01:34,260 --> 00:01:37,340
Well done.

24
00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:38,580
Thank you.

25
00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:41,060
That was a bit of an event, that.

26
00:01:41,060 --> 00:01:44,260
We are over three
quarters of the way

27
00:01:44,260 --> 00:01:46,300
around our great
adventure.

28
00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,420
Our plan is
to be home in London

29
00:01:48,420 --> 00:01:50,180
before the
end of autumn,

30
00:01:50,180 --> 00:01:54,300
but we won't be going anywhere
until I get Matilda sorted out.

31
00:01:55,900 --> 00:01:59,100
That's three times
that's happened now.

32
00:02:02,420 --> 00:02:04,380
I don't like it.

33
00:02:04,380 --> 00:02:05,500
HE MIMICS ENGINE

34
00:02:06,580 --> 00:02:09,660
An engineer will probably tell you
what that is.

35
00:02:09,660 --> 00:02:12,060
I've talked to a couple of people

36
00:02:12,060 --> 00:02:14,500
and they reckon it might be, er,

37
00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:17,620
something to do with the gearbox.

38
00:02:19,940 --> 00:02:24,300
If it is gearbox, it's about lifting
out of the boat, taking it out,

39
00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:26,700
I don't know.

40
00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:28,100
Oh, don't let it be that.

41
00:02:32,740 --> 00:02:36,660
Still, there are worse places
to be stranded.

42
00:02:36,660 --> 00:02:38,940
Whitby is on the
east coast of Yorkshire,

43
00:02:38,940 --> 00:02:41,340
at the mouth of the River Esk.

44
00:02:41,340 --> 00:02:44,180
In the Seventh Century,

45
00:02:44,180 --> 00:02:45,660
Whitby Abbey was home to Cadman,

46
00:02:45,660 --> 00:02:47,540
the earliest known English poet.

47
00:02:47,540 --> 00:02:50,900
My fellow explorer and navigator,

48
00:02:50,900 --> 00:02:54,060
Captain Cook, learned to sail here.

49
00:02:54,060 --> 00:02:57,380
And as a big fan of Gothic novels,
I couldn't be better off.

50
00:02:57,380 --> 00:03:02,260
Much of Bram Stoker's Dracula
takes place in Whitby.

51
00:03:04,260 --> 00:03:08,140
But before we do any sightseeing,
Matilda needs a doctor.

52
00:03:11,580 --> 00:03:14,700
The source of Mr Spall's trouble.

53
00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:17,460
Very, very dirty fuel. Is it?

54
00:03:17,460 --> 00:03:19,820
This is Nick Thwaite,

55
00:03:19,820 --> 00:03:23,300
a marine engineer, who has travelled
down from Newcastle

56
00:03:23,300 --> 00:03:26,140
to find out what's going wrong.

57
00:03:27,660 --> 00:03:29,460
What's the prognosis?

58
00:03:29,460 --> 00:03:31,620
Change fuel filters regularly

59
00:03:31,620 --> 00:03:33,820
is about the most convenient way of
doing it,

60
00:03:33,820 --> 00:03:36,500
even though it means going down into
the engine room. Yes.

61
00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:39,620
Because having the tanks cleaned
is an expensive business. OK.

62
00:03:39,620 --> 00:03:42,500
So you've got to teach sir how to
change a filter, I think.

63
00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:44,660
I do, yes.

64
00:03:47,700 --> 00:03:50,180
I wish I was good at this stuff.

65
00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:56,820
This thing has to be positioned
in exactly the right spot.

66
00:03:56,820 --> 00:03:58,820
Push that upwards,

67
00:03:58,820 --> 00:04:00,860
that filter, just give
it a little twist

68
00:04:00,860 --> 00:04:02,860
and then a push up
at the same time.

69
00:04:02,860 --> 00:04:06,260
We've had Matilda for seven years

70
00:04:06,260 --> 00:04:09,420
and this is the first filter
I've ever changed.

71
00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:14,780
I think that's it.

72
00:04:14,780 --> 00:04:18,220
Now, I'll just check the pressure.

73
00:04:18,220 --> 00:04:20,820
Out it comes, straight out.

74
00:04:20,820 --> 00:04:22,900
Oops, straight down my armpit!

75
00:04:25,740 --> 00:04:26,900
I think we'll now...

76
00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:29,860
Try and start her? Yeah.

77
00:04:29,860 --> 00:04:31,700
We'll pray.

78
00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:35,220
HE STARTS ENGINE
Hurray!

79
00:04:35,220 --> 00:04:38,980
It's actually started better than
it has ever before.

80
00:04:38,980 --> 00:04:41,900
Because it usually does a bit of
"gulp, gulp" and then starts.

81
00:04:41,900 --> 00:04:45,660
That would've been that,
wouldn't it?

82
00:04:45,660 --> 00:04:49,420
I always like it
when the engine starts.

83
00:04:49,420 --> 00:04:52,140
Matilda is all set for
our next voyage.

84
00:04:52,140 --> 00:04:54,660
We can relax now and enjoy Whitby.

85
00:04:55,780 --> 00:04:59,580
I've got a bit of a penchant for
Gothic novels

86
00:04:59,580 --> 00:05:02,300
and I'm also the proud owner

87
00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:05,380
of one of Bram Stoker's
walking canes.

88
00:05:05,380 --> 00:05:07,940
"To Bram Stoker Esquire

89
00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:12,500
"from the crew of the USS Chicago,

90
00:05:12,500 --> 00:05:15,420
"1894."

91
00:05:17,580 --> 00:05:21,980
Bram Stoker's cane was given to me
by an old friend of mine,

92
00:05:21,980 --> 00:05:26,260
Daniel Farson, his great-nephew.

93
00:05:26,260 --> 00:05:29,580
It's the perfect accessory
for a jaunt to the hotel

94
00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:32,580
where he stayed in the 1890s.

95
00:05:32,580 --> 00:05:36,180
Well, here we are in the Royal.
The Royal.

96
00:05:36,180 --> 00:05:39,060
Here is a picture of Bram Stoker.

97
00:05:39,060 --> 00:05:40,700
Let me put my glasses on.

98
00:05:40,700 --> 00:05:45,060
"This portrait was presented to the
management of the Royal Hotel on the

99
00:05:45,060 --> 00:05:48,620
"occasion of the Dracula Society's
visit to Whitby, as it was in Whitby

100
00:05:48,620 --> 00:05:51,340
"that the vampire Count Dracula
came ashore,

101
00:05:51,340 --> 00:05:53,700
"in the shape of an immense dog.

102
00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:57,580
"Whitby can truly be named
Dracula country."

103
00:05:57,580 --> 00:05:59,220
And there is his cane,

104
00:05:59,220 --> 00:06:02,260
I'll put it in the position like
he's holding it.

105
00:06:02,260 --> 00:06:04,620
Well, that's probably about how tall
he was, actually.

106
00:06:04,620 --> 00:06:07,500
How tall does that make me?

107
00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:10,140
Five foot four? Yeah.

108
00:06:10,140 --> 00:06:13,580
There's another huge figure
commemorated in Whitby.

109
00:06:15,060 --> 00:06:18,020
A great explorer and
historic navigator,

110
00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:21,460
whose endeavours I am in awe of.

111
00:06:21,460 --> 00:06:25,420
And there's the man himself,
Captain Cook.

112
00:06:25,420 --> 00:06:27,980
This gives you a little bit of gen
on him.

113
00:06:27,980 --> 00:06:30,820
He was born not far from here,

114
00:06:30,820 --> 00:06:35,460
just outside, er, a little
village just outside Middlesbrough
called Marton,

115
00:06:35,460 --> 00:06:38,140
then they moved to Staithes.

116
00:06:38,140 --> 00:06:39,140
He was the son of a local woman

117
00:06:39,140 --> 00:06:43,780
and a Scottish farm labourer who
became a farm manager.

118
00:06:43,780 --> 00:06:48,140
The farm owner paid for him to go to
school for five years.

119
00:06:48,140 --> 00:06:51,580
Then he ended up apprenticed to
a grocer in Staithes,

120
00:06:51,580 --> 00:06:54,100
which is a small town up there.

121
00:06:54,100 --> 00:06:57,620
Then he came here
and took to the sea.

122
00:06:57,620 --> 00:07:01,980
It would be ridiculous to compare
myself to Captain Cook,

123
00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:04,340
but his boat was flat bottomed,
like mine.

124
00:07:04,340 --> 00:07:09,660
And, like me, he taught himself
how to navigate.

125
00:07:09,660 --> 00:07:12,620
He also taught himself
geometry and cartography.

126
00:07:12,620 --> 00:07:14,820
How about that, then?

127
00:07:14,820 --> 00:07:17,780
He went to sea in
a flat-bottomed boat.

128
00:07:17,780 --> 00:07:20,660
He mapped a lot of
unmapped territory up

129
00:07:20,660 --> 00:07:24,980
all the way on the east coast of
America right up to Australia.

130
00:07:24,980 --> 00:07:28,580
There he is, with his dividers in
his hand, look.

131
00:07:28,580 --> 00:07:30,260
I've got a pair of them.

132
00:07:32,580 --> 00:07:35,820
When Captain Cook left Whitby,
he took on the world.

133
00:07:35,820 --> 00:07:38,500
When we leave Whitby tomorrow,

134
00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:39,940
we'll be heading for Scarborough.

135
00:07:41,460 --> 00:07:44,620
Yorkshire is a big place.

136
00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:47,380
I wonder if Bram Stoker stood here
with this stick?

137
00:07:47,380 --> 00:07:52,420
Looking out to sea thinking,
that boat coming in from the Baltics
down here,

138
00:07:52,420 --> 00:07:57,620
he must've looked at it
imagining it, maybe even
pointing with this stick going,

139
00:07:57,620 --> 00:08:00,460
"Yes, I think the ship came in
through there."

140
00:08:00,460 --> 00:08:03,420
Through there, under its own power,

141
00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:04,860
no-one on board.

142
00:08:04,860 --> 00:08:07,140
Mysterious ship
in the middle of the night,

143
00:08:07,140 --> 00:08:09,700
somehow mooring itself
up there, bang.

144
00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:12,260
And then, straight up that hill,
up there, along there,

145
00:08:12,260 --> 00:08:16,300
up there, along there, and then
the dog disappeared up there.

146
00:08:19,140 --> 00:08:23,140
It's looking good for us to leave
this lovely old town tomorrow.

147
00:08:23,140 --> 00:08:25,340
But before we pack up,

148
00:08:25,340 --> 00:08:28,580
I'm going to make the most of the
late evening sun.

149
00:08:32,340 --> 00:08:34,980
I've spent all my life doodling,
really,

150
00:08:34,980 --> 00:08:37,980
but I'm trying to learn how to draw
properly.

151
00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:43,700
I never,
I never really drew things I saw,

152
00:08:43,700 --> 00:08:45,700
I always drew things in my head.

153
00:08:51,140 --> 00:08:53,460
It ain't much cop, but I'm learning.

154
00:08:54,540 --> 00:08:59,580
I've only just started to mess about
with coloured pencils, so...

155
00:08:59,580 --> 00:09:02,780
I make a few mistakes.

156
00:09:02,780 --> 00:09:06,580
I mean, that's, it's just an idea.

157
00:09:08,220 --> 00:09:10,980
People sort of wax lyrical,
don't they?

158
00:09:10,980 --> 00:09:13,500
They sit in pubs in Tottenham
and Lewisham

159
00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:17,820
thinking, "One of these days,
I'd love to go on a boat,

160
00:09:17,820 --> 00:09:20,620
"sit on a boat
and drink a glass of wine,

161
00:09:20,620 --> 00:09:22,820
"and maybe draw a picture,

162
00:09:22,820 --> 00:09:26,100
"with the sun going down
and the seagulls.

163
00:09:26,100 --> 00:09:29,460
"One of these days..."
I suppose we're actually doing it!

164
00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:30,580
We are actually doing it.

165
00:09:30,580 --> 00:09:32,700
What we are doing

166
00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,900
is what a lot of people
would like to do,

167
00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:37,940
and we are lucky enough
to be doing it.

168
00:09:37,940 --> 00:09:41,940
This is a beautiful place.

169
00:09:41,940 --> 00:09:45,460
Good fish and chips an' all.

170
00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:04,540
Our next destination is only
20 nautical miles away,

171
00:10:04,540 --> 00:10:07,540
down the Yorkshire coast.

172
00:10:07,540 --> 00:10:10,860
Just far enough to ease Matilda's
engines back into action,

173
00:10:10,860 --> 00:10:13,300
after her recent
minor medical procedure.

174
00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:22,100
Sandwiches of Shane Spall.

175
00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:24,460
This one's particularly good.

176
00:10:24,460 --> 00:10:26,540
It's got crisps in it.

177
00:10:46,460 --> 00:10:49,740
A lovely smooth journey,

178
00:10:49,740 --> 00:10:51,860
we don't get too many of them.

179
00:10:53,620 --> 00:10:55,860
Oh, Scarborough.

180
00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:58,460
It's an original Victorian,

181
00:10:58,460 --> 00:11:01,100
or late Georgian almost,

182
00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:03,260
seaside town,

183
00:11:03,260 --> 00:11:05,500
but it's split by a ravine there,

184
00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:08,140
there's a bridge across it,
like a crevasse.

185
00:11:10,540 --> 00:11:13,140
There's some really beautiful
old hotels,

186
00:11:13,140 --> 00:11:15,900
where the well-to-do used to come.

187
00:11:19,820 --> 00:11:22,900
Scarborough was Britain's first
seaside resort.

188
00:11:24,500 --> 00:11:26,300
It's nice.

189
00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:29,060
'It came to prominence
in the 17th century,

190
00:11:29,060 --> 00:11:33,460
'with the discovery of a natural
spring rich in minerals.

191
00:11:33,460 --> 00:11:37,340
'In Victorian times, the middle
class believed the fresh sea air

192
00:11:37,340 --> 00:11:40,460
'could cure all manner of illnesses.

193
00:11:40,460 --> 00:11:42,060
'The influx of new visitors

194
00:11:42,060 --> 00:11:45,020
'led to the construction of
the Grand Hotel

195
00:11:45,020 --> 00:11:47,540
'in 1867.

196
00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:51,100
'At the time, it was one of the
largest hotels in the world.

197
00:11:52,220 --> 00:11:53,940
'But we're not checking in there.

198
00:11:53,940 --> 00:11:55,740
'We visit new places,

199
00:11:55,740 --> 00:11:58,100
'and we bring our home with us.'

200
00:11:58,100 --> 00:12:02,900
You know, it's a classic example of
what this trip brings out, isn't it?

201
00:12:02,900 --> 00:12:06,740
23 miles from another seaside town,

202
00:12:06,740 --> 00:12:09,420
and it's got a completely different
feel to it.

203
00:12:09,420 --> 00:12:12,220
And the accent has changed slightly.

204
00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:15,300
We've gone from Hartlepool,

205
00:12:15,300 --> 00:12:17,260
Hartlypoo-ool,

206
00:12:17,260 --> 00:12:19,100
to North Yorkshire.

207
00:12:19,100 --> 00:12:20,500
Hey up!

208
00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:22,740
And the accent has started
thinning out a bit here.

209
00:12:22,740 --> 00:12:24,900
Then when we get past Lincolnshire,

210
00:12:24,900 --> 00:12:26,940
we'll be going from Lincolnshire

211
00:12:26,940 --> 00:12:28,860
to No-rfolk.

212
00:12:28,860 --> 00:12:31,060
Notice I didn't do
the Lincolnshire accent,

213
00:12:31,060 --> 00:12:33,740
because I can't do it!

214
00:12:33,740 --> 00:12:36,180
Then it will be Suffolk.

215
00:12:36,180 --> 00:12:37,940
Where my family comes from,

216
00:12:37,940 --> 00:12:39,060
and Cambridge,

217
00:12:39,060 --> 00:12:42,580
where some of my family come from.

218
00:12:42,580 --> 00:12:45,980
Essex. Then we're up Father Thames.

219
00:12:45,980 --> 00:12:47,140
Yeah.

220
00:12:54,780 --> 00:12:57,620
London is getting closer.

221
00:12:57,620 --> 00:12:59,740
We're halfway down
the English east coast,

222
00:12:59,740 --> 00:13:02,380
just 250 miles from home.

223
00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:09,700
We're mooring about there?

224
00:13:12,220 --> 00:13:16,300
I can't understand that,
that's a road map, love.

225
00:13:16,300 --> 00:13:19,460
We're on our way to Spurn Head,

226
00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:23,420
at the mouth of the Humber Estuary.

227
00:13:23,420 --> 00:13:26,300
Once we get there, we'll be faced
with one of the few things

228
00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:28,860
that threatens to destroy
an otherwise happy marriage.

229
00:13:30,860 --> 00:13:33,300
Trying to attach the boat
to a swing buoy.

230
00:13:35,060 --> 00:13:38,260
We can be frivolous now,
but when it's...

231
00:13:38,260 --> 00:13:40,060
Yeah, when we get the swing buoy,

232
00:13:40,060 --> 00:13:43,420
you've got to allow me to do it
and then I shall call you.

233
00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:47,820
You will see it on there.
You know I can snag it.

234
00:13:47,820 --> 00:13:50,220
Listen to me, listen to me.

235
00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:51,660
I'm listening.

236
00:13:51,660 --> 00:13:54,620
My feeling is that the buoy,

237
00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:58,940
if it's an RNLI one,

238
00:13:58,940 --> 00:14:01,740
will have a massive chain
or a hawser on it.

239
00:14:01,740 --> 00:14:06,060
So all you've got to do is
get the float.

240
00:14:06,060 --> 00:14:07,660
Yeah, that's what I will do.

241
00:14:07,660 --> 00:14:09,140
Give me a kiss.

242
00:14:11,020 --> 00:14:14,300
Spurn Head doesn't have a harbour,
or a marina,

243
00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:17,460
but the lifeboat crew there
have given us permission

244
00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:20,540
to moor on their swing buoy
overnight.

245
00:14:20,540 --> 00:14:23,420
That should be Bull Sand Fort there.

246
00:14:23,420 --> 00:14:28,540
OK. Quite grim looking.

247
00:14:30,140 --> 00:14:32,060
Slightly...

248
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:37,180
Something a touch science fiction
about it. It's a bit weird.

249
00:14:39,340 --> 00:14:41,980
The Humber has two forts,

250
00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:45,620
Haile Sand Fort and Bull Sand Fort.

251
00:14:45,620 --> 00:14:48,460
Their construction began in 1915,

252
00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:51,540
to defend against a German invasion.

253
00:14:51,540 --> 00:14:54,220
However, they took four years
to build.

254
00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:57,740
By that time,
the war was already over.

255
00:14:57,740 --> 00:15:01,700
Still, they were 20 years early for
World War II.

256
00:15:03,780 --> 00:15:07,300
We've got to get the right buoy,
because some of them are pilot buoys

257
00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:13,860
and some of them are...
Is it marked? It's a yellow buoy.

258
00:15:13,860 --> 00:15:21,620
There's a yellow buoy there.
Just have a look round...

259
00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:25,140
Tides are high, it's slack.
All right.

260
00:15:25,140 --> 00:15:27,020
I'm going to go.

261
00:15:27,020 --> 00:15:29,580
Just hold on. Hold on.

262
00:15:36,580 --> 00:15:41,980
I think, depending which way the tide
is going, we're going to get
that buoy over there,

263
00:15:41,980 --> 00:15:45,620
with the boat hook.

264
00:15:45,620 --> 00:15:48,260
Hopefully, it's got a float, but it
doesn't look like it's got a float,

265
00:15:48,260 --> 00:15:50,260
so it's going to be quite difficult.

266
00:15:50,260 --> 00:15:52,980
So, yes, Tim and I will row.

267
00:15:54,580 --> 00:15:57,580
Because the way I do it
is better than his.

268
00:16:10,740 --> 00:16:13,460
If I've got a rope.
Give me the end of the rope quickly.

269
00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:24,460
The sea appears calm,

270
00:16:24,460 --> 00:16:28,260
but there's still a significant
tidal rip down there.

271
00:16:37,220 --> 00:16:39,260
I might take up knitting.

272
00:16:39,260 --> 00:16:41,500
I wonder if my trusty first mate

273
00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:44,180
quite understands
what a trial this is?

274
00:16:54,300 --> 00:16:57,020
Why don't you let me steer towards
the buoy?

275
00:16:57,020 --> 00:17:02,300
Because you can't do it... OK.
I'll just ease it towards you.
All right. All right?

276
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:05,660
Just be quiet and wait, please.

277
00:17:08,780 --> 00:17:14,020
'A captain's life is never easy.'

278
00:17:14,020 --> 00:17:16,620
Just hold that still. OK.

279
00:17:40,940 --> 00:17:42,140
Got it.

280
00:17:42,140 --> 00:17:44,060
Well done, love.

281
00:17:44,060 --> 00:17:47,540
'And that, as they say,
is how you do
it.'

282
00:17:49,380 --> 00:17:52,660
Let's just relish the moment for
a second. Christ!

283
00:17:58,460 --> 00:18:02,100
I've got cramp though. Cramp.
Do you want to put another one on?

284
00:18:07,100 --> 00:18:09,380
Another lovely day at sea!

285
00:18:09,380 --> 00:18:12,500
Ah, the relaxation, the joy,
the fun.

286
00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:14,020
The arguments.

287
00:18:15,060 --> 00:18:17,140
The joy.

288
00:18:18,420 --> 00:18:19,900
The beautiful Spurn Head

289
00:18:19,900 --> 00:18:21,180
is a narrow strip of land

290
00:18:21,180 --> 00:18:23,020
three-and-a-half miles long

291
00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:27,140
which forms the north bank of the
Humber Estuary.

292
00:18:28,620 --> 00:18:31,580
We'll moor here tonight,
ready for a big journey tomorrow.

293
00:18:37,020 --> 00:18:39,740
I love these swing moorings.

294
00:18:39,740 --> 00:18:42,260
It's like being...

295
00:18:42,260 --> 00:18:47,620
completely cut adrift, but safe.

296
00:18:49,220 --> 00:18:51,380
I'll just go and check that rope.

297
00:19:01,940 --> 00:19:05,340
Today, we're going to go across
The Wash

298
00:19:05,340 --> 00:19:07,780
and into Wells-next-the-Sea,
in Norfolk.

299
00:19:07,780 --> 00:19:09,220
To get there safely,

300
00:19:09,220 --> 00:19:11,220
I need to leave
on a fair tide,

301
00:19:11,220 --> 00:19:13,420
catch the flood
down the coast

302
00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:15,180
and arrive at
high tide.

303
00:19:15,180 --> 00:19:19,380
I've got to get my calculations
absolutely spot-on.

304
00:19:19,380 --> 00:19:25,420
But not until we've dropped some
locals into a pan of boiling water.

305
00:19:25,420 --> 00:19:30,460
How big is it, Timmy? Smaller.
You need hands!

306
00:19:30,460 --> 00:19:33,700
Come on, Timmy, don't mess with it,
just put it in the bloody pan.

307
00:19:33,700 --> 00:19:36,460
Don't do that! Fine.

308
00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:44,140
Oh... Put your leg down, mate.

309
00:19:44,140 --> 00:19:46,260
HE LAUGHS

310
00:19:46,260 --> 00:19:50,140
It was waving goodbye!
Timmy, it was not. Next.

311
00:19:50,140 --> 00:19:54,620
It was waving good night... That's
it. There's another bag in there.

312
00:19:54,620 --> 00:19:57,100
We don't need to cook three of them.

313
00:19:57,100 --> 00:20:01,620
No, cook them now. I don't want
to look in the freezer
and find things.

314
00:20:02,740 --> 00:20:06,300
We've met quite a few
lifeboat crews on our travels,

315
00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:09,700
but the Spurn Head crew is unique.

316
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:12,980
It's the only one in Britain
where the crew

317
00:20:12,980 --> 00:20:17,300
and their families live
full time at the station.

318
00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:19,980
And it's been this way
since it was formed in 1810.

319
00:20:22,620 --> 00:20:25,780
This crew look after the area
we are about to navigate.

320
00:20:28,140 --> 00:20:32,020
The Humber is the third busiest
estuary in Europe.

321
00:20:32,020 --> 00:20:34,980
More than 80 ships a day
pass Spurn Head.

322
00:20:38,460 --> 00:20:42,180
This journey has got me,
once again, a bit nervous.

323
00:20:43,660 --> 00:20:46,460
It's reckoned
there are at least 150 wrecks

324
00:20:46,460 --> 00:20:49,500
within 15 miles
of Wells-next-the-Sea.

325
00:20:52,340 --> 00:20:55,500
Thankfully, the boss of
the lifeboat crew

326
00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,020
has come over to check my route.

327
00:20:58,020 --> 00:21:01,780
Please come aboard.
Have a look, have a cup of tea.

328
00:21:01,780 --> 00:21:06,140
I didn't know you could get a small
craft folio for our bit of
the coast.

329
00:21:06,140 --> 00:21:09,180
Yeah, yeah.
It's the perfect size for us.

330
00:21:09,180 --> 00:21:13,860
That's the route I've put in, along
there, across the bank there. Yeah.

331
00:21:13,860 --> 00:21:17,860
Down there. To there, down there,
along there. Yeah.

332
00:21:17,860 --> 00:21:22,700
This bit here, I would definitely
come out here. Yeah.

333
00:21:22,700 --> 00:21:26,060
And basically, if you can parallel
until you get past this,

334
00:21:26,060 --> 00:21:28,500
because this gets very,
very shallow. Does it?

335
00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:30,460
With the tide, you'll only
have a metre and a half,

336
00:21:30,460 --> 00:21:31,900
two metres on that bit.
So keep right...

337
00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:35,580
'It's really reassuring to have
an experienced lifeboatman

338
00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:37,140
'check your route.'

339
00:21:37,140 --> 00:21:40,460
This place here,
we've had some really horrendous
collisions on the Humber...

340
00:21:40,460 --> 00:21:43,740
'That's not particularly
reassuring.'

341
00:21:43,740 --> 00:21:46,900
Before, they never used to bother,
they just used to bomb up and
down...

342
00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:52,980
Don't they look at their radar?
Yeah, but there's a bit up the
top end, there's a cardinal buoy,

343
00:21:52,980 --> 00:21:57,180
and then it's a fairly tightish
turn, and you go past...

344
00:21:57,180 --> 00:22:00,940
Two ships just literally smack-bang
into each other in dense fog.

345
00:22:00,940 --> 00:22:02,580
Ooh, dear.

346
00:22:02,580 --> 00:22:08,300
I'm not sure if the lifeboat meeting
has made me feel better or worse.

347
00:22:10,620 --> 00:22:13,380
It's nine turbulent hours
until we reach

348
00:22:13,380 --> 00:22:15,820
Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk.

349
00:22:18,740 --> 00:22:21,220
Careful. Here we go.

350
00:22:21,220 --> 00:22:24,860
Baptism of fire.

351
00:22:24,860 --> 00:22:28,620
If I didn't know the lifeboatmen
were only 600 yards away,

352
00:22:28,620 --> 00:22:32,940
I would have fallen over
and gibbered on the floor.

353
00:22:38,660 --> 00:22:40,900
Maybe some lobster will help.

354
00:22:46,060 --> 00:22:49,580
Oh, oh...

355
00:22:56,260 --> 00:22:59,860
Oh. I know
it's a terrible thing to say,

356
00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:03,540
but they were alive only about
eight hours ago,

357
00:23:03,540 --> 00:23:07,500
the freshness of it...

358
00:23:07,500 --> 00:23:09,740
is unbelievable.

359
00:23:11,540 --> 00:23:15,060
This journey marks
the crossing of another border.

360
00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:20,220
We're leaving the North of England
to enter the South of England.

361
00:23:21,820 --> 00:23:25,900
It's yet another big moment
on our round-Britain adventure.

362
00:23:40,020 --> 00:23:45,020
It seems I got the calculations
correctly and Wells is in sight,

363
00:23:45,020 --> 00:23:47,860
but the journey is far from over.

364
00:23:48,020 --> 00:23:51,900
These waters are full of
hidden sandbanks.

365
00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:55,140
RADIO: 'Yeah, keep following me.

366
00:23:55,140 --> 00:23:57,980
'We're going to go out of
the channel, take a short cut.

367
00:23:57,980 --> 00:24:00,220
'Just follow me across.'

368
00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:02,060
All right, Wells, understood.

369
00:24:02,060 --> 00:24:05,780
'And thankfully, I've got
a pilot boat to guide me in.'

370
00:24:05,780 --> 00:24:09,340
'I don't want to sound rude, but can
you go any quicker, or is that it?'

371
00:24:09,340 --> 00:24:13,460
No, I can do another three or four
knots, no problem, over.

372
00:24:13,460 --> 00:24:16,620
'If you could. I'd just like to get
there before it gets dark,
that's all.'

373
00:24:16,620 --> 00:24:18,740
I thought they were going slow.

374
00:24:18,740 --> 00:24:22,060
I thought you were going slow
because of the tide.

375
00:24:22,060 --> 00:24:25,500
You go and I'll follow you. I can
do about six, seven knots, over.

376
00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:35,940
This channel we're following
is full of twists and turns.

377
00:24:35,940 --> 00:24:37,620
I wouldn't fancy
doing this on my own.

378
00:24:51,460 --> 00:24:54,260
Welcome to Wells. Thank you.

379
00:25:03,580 --> 00:25:09,700
Tomorrow morning, when we leave
at 8:30, this will be full.

380
00:25:09,700 --> 00:25:12,940
The tide will be above all that,

381
00:25:12,940 --> 00:25:16,420
and that's the channel out there,
you see.

382
00:25:16,420 --> 00:25:19,300
These sands shift all the time
around here,

383
00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:22,500
so they have to keep dredging
and changing the channel.

384
00:25:22,500 --> 00:25:27,340
So that's the channel, you know...
In the morning, you think, "Ah,

385
00:25:27,340 --> 00:25:30,140
"I'll just go straight across
there," but no,

386
00:25:30,140 --> 00:25:35,500
because that's the channel, there,
round there,

387
00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:40,140
you'll snake, and we'll snake,
and snake our way out.

388
00:25:41,580 --> 00:25:43,540
Wells is one of Britain's
hidden gems.

389
00:25:46,180 --> 00:25:49,700
It's blessed with natural beauty.

390
00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:52,900
Yet we've never heard of it before.

391
00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:56,660
Look at it. There, look.

392
00:25:56,660 --> 00:25:59,980
That could be us, there,
that could be our barge. Stranded.

393
00:25:59,980 --> 00:26:03,980
There he is waiting,
staring down, waiting.

394
00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:06,580
No, he's got a couple of hours yet.

395
00:26:07,780 --> 00:26:11,420
Oi, oi!
I'll be doing that in the morning.

396
00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:17,740
Can't wait, can't wait to get up
and have a run.

397
00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:21,180
Although it's called
Wells-next-the-Sea,

398
00:26:21,180 --> 00:26:23,700
the main town is a mile inland.

399
00:26:23,700 --> 00:26:27,300
500 years ago, this would have been
underwater.

400
00:26:29,220 --> 00:26:31,380
The strong tides of the North Sea
pushed silt

401
00:26:31,380 --> 00:26:36,220
and sand onto the Norfolk Coast,
placing towns like Wells inland.

402
00:26:36,220 --> 00:26:43,420
What a wonderful, wonderful, oasis.

403
00:26:43,420 --> 00:26:44,580
Look at it,

404
00:26:44,580 --> 00:26:48,380
and look at that,
that amazing beach.

405
00:26:48,380 --> 00:26:53,580
All these huts that have been there
for years and years, evidently.

406
00:26:53,580 --> 00:26:57,500
To buy one of them,
they're about 90 grand, or £60,000.

407
00:26:57,500 --> 00:26:59,980
But look at it,
it's like an Indian...

408
00:26:59,980 --> 00:27:05,620
If you squint your eyes, it could be
like some strange settlers'

409
00:27:05,620 --> 00:27:09,180
encampment, couldn't it?

410
00:27:09,180 --> 00:27:13,340
Or some tepee. It's wonderful.

411
00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:26,180
What more do you need to know about
how beautiful a country we live in?

412
00:27:33,420 --> 00:27:36,380
Please, please give me
just a gentle day.

413
00:27:36,380 --> 00:27:39,380
I don't know what I'm doing here!
Why isn't this working?

414
00:27:39,380 --> 00:27:44,020
I don't know. We're going round
in circles. I am lost, actually.

415
00:27:44,020 --> 00:27:46,940
Well, let's call the coastguard.

416
00:27:46,940 --> 00:27:48,980
We're going to Chatham.

417
00:27:48,980 --> 00:27:51,660
I always said we'd never call
the coastguard.

418
00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:56,300
I think it's both a celebration

419
00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:59,900
and a spit in the eye of the
audacity of fate trying to kill me.

420
00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:02,140
So we went out
and tried to kill ourselves.

421
00:28:05,620 --> 00:28:09,460
Oh! Hurray!

422
00:28:20,260 --> 00:28:23,180
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