Episode 2

Simon Reeve travels through glorious Cornwall during a summer like no other. As the county emerges from lockdown, the pandemic has thrown up so many questions about the future of one of Britain’s favourite tourist locations.

In the second of two programmes, Simon investigates the environmental challenges facing Cornwall and the rest of the country, and on the way encounters some of its iconic wildlife, including Britain’s largest predator, the huge grey seal. More than a third of the global population is found in UK waters, where they are threatened by ocean pollution. Diving into coastal waters, Simon accompanies the volunteers who clean up the discarded fishing nets that can entangle and drown the seals.

Travelling inland from the beautiful coast, Simon crosses a county of stunning moorlands. Agriculture is still Cornwall’s biggest employer, and there are exciting new visions for how less intensive forms of farming could be more profitable and environmentally friendly. Simon also discovers the rewilding project where reforesting uplands and introducing beavers promise to tackle the problem of widespread flooding.