The Cotswolds & Beyond with Pam Ayres

The poet explores places surrounding the region, along the way meeting people who call this corner of England home, beginning by heading to Stonehenge in Wiltshire. With private access to this ancient stone circle, Pam watches the sun rise and chats to expert Susan Greaney to find out more about this historic landmark.

In this episode, Pam's journey begins beyond the Cotswolds borders at Highclere Castle, one of Britain's most recognisable stately homes. Highclere is better known as Downton Abbey, and Pam's finding out about this famous home with owner Lady Carnarvon. As well as exploring some rooms that will be familiar to millions of TV viewers, she finds out more about Highclere's fantastic gardens, designed by Capability Brown. She also learns about Highclere's involvement in the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt exactly 100 years ago. Pam's next destination lies to the northwest and the Malvern Hills. She meets TV presenter Anne Diamond, who gives her a guided tour of her hometown of Great Malvern. They taste the water, visit Malvern College, where Anne tells the story of her dad working on radar there during the war. They then visit the Malvern Hills, where a spectacular view awaits. Pam's journey continues back in the heart of the Cotswolds and her hometown of Cirencester. First, she ex

In this episode, Pam's got a royal appointment at Highgrove Gardens, run by The Prince's Foundation and adjacent to the private residence of HRH The Prince of Wales, where Pam meets His Royal Highness himself. The Prince escorts Pam on a personal guided tour of his gardens to discover his passion for gardening and his vision behind the series of interlinked gardens that he's designed and nurtured over the past four decades. Along the way, His Royal Highness and Pam discuss his commitment to the environment and how sustainability is at the heart of everything he does at Highgrove. Pam also meets garden guide Emma Cochran-Patrick, and she gets hands-on with making traditional plaster decorative mouldings at The Prince's Foundation Barley Court workshop with Esme Walker. From Highgrove, Pam heads northwest and over the Cotswold border to the Forest of Dean, where she goes full steam ahead behind the controls of a locomotive on the Dean Forest Railway. Pam then heads to Tewksbury to tackle

The poet heads to Stow-on-the Wold to meet antiques expert Paul Martin, and also explores one of Britain's best-known arts and crafts gardens in the Cotswolds - Hidcote Manor Garden.