06/03/2011

Countryfile explores the Thames Estuary on land and on water to find out why it's more than just a gateway to the city of London. Matt Baker discovers how Chatham Docks shaped our maritime history, and visits one of the world's last remaining traditional rope-makers. But who will take top honours when he challenges Julia Bradbury to race a traditional Thames sailing barge?

Jules Hudson discovers how the Kent marshes inspired writer Charles Dickens, while Katie Knapman lends a hand to the fisherman supplying some of London's top restaurants. Plus with 25 million tonnes of rubbish dumped in the UK each year, John Craven investigates what's being done to clamp down on the litter louts and fly-tippers who are ruining our countryside. And Adam Henson's shopping for a new bull at Oban cattle market, but will he get the one he wants?