Norfolk

Jules Hudson is exploring an extraordinary landscape in the heart of the Norfolk countryside which few people ever get to see. It’s known as Stanford Training Area and has been used by the British Army to train for conflicts around the world for decades. With Sergeant “Smudge” Smith as his guide, Jules explores the area and discovers a specially-built Afghan village, designed to immerse troops in real-life scenarios, complete with a mosque, market and even suicide bombers.

Dotted around the Norfolk landscape are scores of shepherd’s huts - crumbling reminders of the county’s rich farming heritage. Some of these huts have been burnt on bonfires, but two men are on a mission to save them from disappearing altogether. To discover their history, Anita Rani meets “huttist” Ian MacDonald and starts work on the latest project along with restoration expert Richard King. Will the corrugated iron hut remain intact as it’s moved for the first time in almost a century and transported to Richard’s workshop for repair?

Find out more about other restoration projects

Marian Butler and Esme Reynolds were just young girls when they left their homes in the village of Stanford in 1942. The area had been requisitioned by the Army for vital training and the 600 men, women and children who lived there were given three weeks’ notice to pack up their belongings and find new homes. Now in their 80s, Marian and Jules return to show Jules the rubble-strewn remains of their former homes and tell him of the heartbreak felt by the families who had to leave.

Large parts of rural Britain still have little or no mobile coverage and for the people that live and work in these areas it can create serious problems. Charlotte Smith looks into the struggles faced by those who live in mobile ‘not-spots’ and investigates how the upgrade of one mast has improved coverage for an entire village. But what are mobile phone companies doing for those who have no signal, and will the government’s Mobile Infrastructure Project succeed in connecting the countryside?

Rain, wind or even snow don’t deter artist Jane Hodgson from capturing the landscape of Norfolk on canvas. She paints outdoors in all weathers, setting up her easel on pebbly beaches, reed beds and riverbanks. It’s people who really fire her imagination though. She works through the seasons with fishermen, fruit growers and mussel harvesters. To witness some painting first hand, Anita meets Jane on Weybourne’s windswept shingle beach with crab fisherman Richard Matthews. When Richard returns with his catch, the rush is on to capture the moment on canvas, Richard is not going to strike a pose so Jane must work around him.

In two weeks’ time, Countryfile will host the legendary One Man and His Dog sheepdog trial competition and between now and then we’ll be travelling far and wide to meet each contender. The best young handlers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will be teamed up with the most skilful senior shepherds as they take to the field with their canine companions to battle it out for the 2014 title. This week, Helen Skelton will be meeting the team hoping to crown Wales in glory, whilst Shauna Lowry travels to the northern-most tip of mainland UK to meet the Scottish contenders.

While the British Army’s combat troops may be firing bullets at Stanford Training Area, their training goes hand in hand with looking after the landscape. The area is known as Breckland and it’s important not just in Britain but throughout Europe. It’s home to rare species like the stone curlew and is looked after both by conservation bodies like Natural England and the tenant farmers who work the land. Jules meets farmer Richard Evans to find out how he fits his farming calendar around the army operations.