Adam Henson looks at the harsh reality of being a rural vet in the depths of winter - a job that's often a matter of life and death. He also looks back at the trials and tribulations of one the country's largest practices - seeing first-hand the challenges they face treating all creatures great and small.

Countryfile is in Kent, where Matt Baker is exploring the magnificent Leeds Castle as it celebrates its 900th anniversary. He tries his hand at a spot of falconry with the castle's resident birds of prey. Margherita Taylor is visiting a nature reserve where our feather friends are flocking in. She also meets the farmer whose fussiest customers are gorillas and elephants! And Adam Henson is finding out that this time of year can be difficult for our farmland birds. Tom looks at the problems of waste plastic on farms. UK recycling facilities are so flooded with domestic plastic waste that options for dealing with agricultural plastic are shrinking whilst farmers' waste stockpiles are growing.

Countryfile is in Wiltshire, where Matt Baker discovers the incredible work of the care farm which is changing children's lives. Anita Rani tastes a local cheese with a long heritage and unearths a type of coral only found in this county. Paralympian Hannah Cockroft is in the Highlands of Scotland meeting a young gamekeeper to find out what the job entails. Adam Henson is on his farm taking stock at the turn of the new year. Tom Heap investigates how far we are prepared to go to keep the UK's farms free from disease.

Matt Baker explores Dalby Forest as the Forestry Commission marks its centenary, and Turner Prize-winning artist Rachel Whiteread shows us her sculpture, commissioned to mark the anniversary. Ellie Harrison captures the winter beauty of this county's diverse landscape. John Craven meets the wood carver known as Stick Man. We go dolphin spotting with Paralympian Hannah Cockroft and Adam Henson is meeting the ex-England rugby player who has traded in world cups for prize-winning cattle. Tom is on the trail of the dog thieves targeting the countryside.

Winter is a tough time for wildlife, but at Lower Moss Wood nature reserve in Cheshire they pull out all the stops to help. Steve Brown meets the volunteers and the inspirational head of the reserve Ray Jackson, who was awarded an MBE for his services to wildlife. Steve is shown the specialist hospital unit where volunteers are busy tending to some poorly hedgehogs. Ray also helps injured bats build up their strength ahead of release in the spring. Steve gets to meet some of the reserve's permanent residents, including foxes tame enough to feed by hand and the owls who wouldn't survive in the wild. Adam Henson launches this year's search for Countryfile's farming hero.

The team head out across the UK to reveal how the countryside is full of life even in the coldest of months. Matt Baker travels to the Norfolk Broads, lending a hand in one of the area's most ambitious environmental schemes, transforming water into new land for the area's plantlife. He then helps restore one of the Broads' historic drainage mills which used to maintain the landscape in years gone by, before joining in a project taking a snapshot of Norfolk's winter wildlife. Ellie Harrison explores the Scottish lifestyle concept of coorie, where getting in touch with the season involves a winter dip in a freshwater loch before sampling the taste of the Scottish landscape, courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin. Steve Brown heads to Devon to discover the challenges faced by barn owls in making it through this harshest of seasons. Adam Henson leaves the mainland for the Isles of Scilly, where in winter the main economy turns from tourism to farming as islanders gather in the narcissi harvest. And John Craven has a heartwarming experience when he visits the village of Lover in Wiltshire, where residents are using their romantic name to regenerate their rural community with a Valentine's postal service.

Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are in a very snowy Devon. Matt looks at the work of photographer James Ravilious, who spent years photographing the Devon countryside. He meets Brian Low, one of the farmers who appeared in the photos back in the 1970s and discovers what Ravilious's legacy means to him. Later, Matt returns to Brian's farm to meet some just-born calves, before heading to the farm of Lisa Lucas Ridge, where lambing is in full swing. Margherita meets the people from the Axewood Co-operative, a group who chop down wood and give it away. Margherita meets some of the beneficiaries of this log bank and finds out how this initiative is helping ease fuel poverty locally. Margherita also heads to Greenway, the fabled summer home of Agatha Christie and inspiration for many scenes in her books. The gardens are famous for their camellias, which are in full bloom despite the icy weather. Also in this programme, Hannah Cockroft does a spot of bird-watching, Tom Heap investigates the growth of illegal bloodsports online and Adam Henson sees how virtual reality is being used to train the farmers of the future.

Matt and Helen are in Gloucestershire where Matt pays a visit to the world-famous Slimbridge wetland reserve to see how a massive multi-million-pound refurbishment is going. Matt gets a sneak peak of Sir Peter Scott’s personal studio, soon to be opened to the public for the first time. He also finds out how some old hunting kit is being used to aid conservation. Duck decoys were used to funnel ducks for shooting, but now they are being used to help gather data on Slimbridge's many duck species. Helen is on a dairy farm where two enterprising brothers have come up with a winning use for their produce: kefir, a kind of fermented milk drink from Russia that is currently one of the hottest foodie trends. She also meets an artist who draws with wire and takes her inspiration from the wildfowl at Slimbridge. Also in this programme, Hannah Cockroft is on the Gower helping rid its beaches of plastic. And Adam’s in Devon, where despite it being winter, it’s shearing time for one special breed of sheep, and Joe investigates the row over how some of the UK’s richest landowners want to manage our moorland.

Matt and Ellie are exploring Cheshire and a wildlife haven in the Wirral. Matt is on a dairy farm meeting sixth-generation farmer Henry Cooke and hearing his plans to become the biggest producer of clotted cream outside the south west. Matt takes a look at Henry’s Danish red cattle, whose rich milk is the secret ingredient. He then sees how the cream is baked to become clotted cream. Ellie meets the retirees who have hooked up with Cheshire Wildlife Trust to make bespoke furniture, the sales of which go toward helping local wildlife. She then heads to the Wirral, to the unspoiled Hilbre Island, with bird enthusiast Allan Conlin to see the wide variety of birds there and to hear about Allan’s passion for this remote island, just a stone's throw from Liverpool city centre. Also in this programme Hannah Cockroft travels to beautiful North Uist in the Outer Hebrides to get a taste of the crofting life. Tom is looking at the struggle faced by many rural vets to stay in business, and Adam is in Somerset finding out about a scheme to help young people get a foot on the farming ladder.

This week Countryfile is in Somerset. Matt Baker is visiting a farm that’s giving budding farmers a helping hand. Helen Skelton’s got a liking for lichen deep in Exmoor’s woodlands, and she’s discovering the creatures that call the north Somerset coastline home. In a special film for Comic Relief, Sir Tony Robinson will be visiting a charity that’s making a real difference to people’s lives. Adam Henson is in Cheshire on a shopping trip with a difference - he’s buying livestock, and Tom Heap is looking at whether enough is being done to protect our coastal waters.

Countryfile is in north west Wales, where Joe Crowley visits a sheep farm and meets its striking new arrivals - Valais Blacknose sheep. Margherita Taylor discovers the Welsh names for the local flora and fauna, and she cooks up a mushroom-flavoured storm with a local barbecuing fanatic. Steve Brown meets a group that's helping to get people of all abilities out on the water. Adam Henson welcomes some new arrivals to his farm, and Tom Heap tries to figure out the true extent of the financial threat now facing the UK’s farms.

Across the country, farmers are working hard to provide us with the bulk of our food – from chicken and beef to peas and potatoes. But there are many individuals producing the more unusual foods we like to indulge in from time to time. Sean is in Oxfordshire meeting those with a passion for our more unusual produce, from picklers to cheesemakers. He’ll be on the hunt for the perfect ingredients to make that most traditional of British meals - a hearty ploughman’s, with a twist. We’ll also be looking back through the archive to some of the foodies championing the more extraordinary edibles – from the time John met the kelp grower in Northern Ireland to when Anita helped harvest peppermint; from Matt, pulping pears for Perry, to Adam harvesting a spice worth its weight in gold.

Countryfile is exploring Surrey, where Matt Baker meets the women who have inspired generations of conservationists. Helen Skelton visits a biodynamic vineyard, John Craven finds out how best to go about keeping pigs, Steve Brown unearths the history of the Surrey landscape through sculpture, Adam finds out what Brexit means to our farmers, and Tom looks at whether the UK’s favourite meat could – or should - ever be antibiotic-free.

This programme marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of our national parks. Matt will be looking at the history of their formation, and he’ll be joining a diverse group of walkers recreating historic photographs from the mass trespasses of the 1930s. John is exploring the industrial history of Rosedale on the North York moors and meeting the modern day glassmakers following in the footsteps of 16th-century Huguenot artisans. Charlotte is in the New Forest looking at the pressures on the park caused by its proximity to big urban centres. Sean is in Pembrokeshire finding out how park authorities have engaged walkers in a citizen science project to record coastal erosion on their smartphones. Margherita is on Exmoor telling the story of long-forgotten 19th-century landscape visionary John Knight, who planned his own embryonic 'national park' back in the 1820s, and Adam is in the Trossachs finding out about the challenges of farming in a national park.

Matt meets the farmer using a no-till method of raising crops to help save our soils. He also discovers that prehistoric long barrows are making a comeback as people look for alternatives to traditional burials. Ellie is on the trail of Shropshire’s Clun sheep, meeting people who turn Clun fleeces into sought after garments. She also joins the volunteers rescuing our small woods from oblivion. Steve’s all in a lather as he gets to milk a lively herd of goats and turn that milk into soap. Tom investigates how going green has left thousands of farmers out of pocket, and Adam meets the farmers pinning their lot on one of our favourite snacks.

Matt is in Panshanger Park in Hertfordshire, seeing how an old quarry has become one of the best places for wildlife in the county. He also finds out that the park's many old trees are whole ecosystems in their own right, teeming with life. Sean is in Panshanger too, helping move a herd of English longhorn cattle to complete a 300-year-old vision for the park. This being Easter Sunday, Anita is on the trail of one of our favourite Easter snacks - the hot cross bun. She visits a restored, working watermill and helps grind the flour needed to make her Easter treats. Steve is in Buckinghamshire at Whitecross Green Wood nature reserve, looking for signs of spring. Down on Adam’s farm there is plenty of new spring life, but in among the new arrivals there’s also a note of sadness too, and Tom looks at how the fight to prevent a UK water shortage could hit food producers the hardest.

Matt meets caravan enthusiasts near Morecambe Bay as they celebrate 100 years of caravanning history. He also discovers how the rise of camping has allowed farms to diversify. Ellie steps aboard a ‘floating apothecary’ run by two trained herbalists who use plants from the forest to make natural remedies. Adam meets top chef Michael Wignall as they take a tour of his favourite suppliers in North Yorkshire, including a Himalayan salt chamber. John goes from fleece to fabric as he tries his hand at shearing with blade scissors and dying unspun wool using spring flowers. The whole process is sustainable, biodegradable and bringing cloth-making back to Bristol. Anita is doing the donkey work in Northern Ireland as she takes part in a tradition stretching back centuries in which donkeys do all the ploughing and planting of traditional Irish crops. And while Steve is on a quest to spot some of the birds returning to the UK this spring, he meets a local artist who makes 3D paper sculptures inspired by nature.

Ellie Harrison introduces archive reports on people and animals living on Britain's coastline. She also visits Somerset's Steart Peninsula, home to the UK's biggest new coastal wetland, created to play a vital role in preventing flooding and fighting the impact of coastal erosion, and meets farmers who still manage to make a living from the surrounding land in the face of flooding.

Countryfile is in Aberdeenshire, where Anita Rani meets a farmer and her daughter who have a passion for the hardiest of livestock, Highland cattle. She also visits some farmers with a hankering for heritage vegetables. Joe Crowley turns detective to track down the disappearing wild Atlantic salmon. Steve Brown visits a wildlife rescue centre that’s been making headlines, Tom Heap looks at plans to force devvelopers to pay to improve the countryside, and on Adam Henson's farm it’s time for his animals to quit their winter feed and hit pastures new.

This month marks 200 years since Queen Victoria’s birth, so Countryfile is exploring the Victorians' fascination with nature and the great outdoors. Matt Baker visits Queen Victoria’s beloved country retreat, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where preparations for the celebrations are well underway. Ellie Harrison finds out about the rebellious Victorian women’s cycling clubs. John Craven delves into Darwin’s theory of sexual selection and his issues with the flamboyant peacock. Margherita Taylor takes a microscopic view of the Victorian obsession with science and the ordering of nature, Adam Henson meets the dairy farmer who overcame adversity to realise his dream, and Tom Heap looks at the impact of bringing Britain’s biggest bird of prey back to our skies.

This week the team are in Derbyshire. Matt Baker joins a group of people who have been restoring Chesterfield’s canals – bringing both employment and life back to the area. Anita Rani is in Tissington – a village owned by the same family for 400 years, but with some very modern ideas about land management and development of an agricultural estate. Anita hears all about the area's industrial past and meets a modern-day knife maker. Steve Brown meets the 'nectar inspectors' and learns how we can all help pollinators by calculating the 'nectar score' in our own back gardens and yards. Tom finds out whether a vision of chemical-free farming could ever become a reality. And Adam and Charlotte meet the first finalist in our search for the Countryfile Farming Hero 2019.

This week the team are in south Wales. Matt Baker is on the Gower Peninsula to learn about a project that’s not only creating new structures from the fabric of the land but also building a future for the people on it. Ellie Harrison is in Monmouthshire, where it’s already shearing time. But this isn’t a sheep farm – there’s a new flock on the block: alpacas! Sean gets a taste of the landscape on a pig farm in the Black Mountains, Tom Heap asks whether our countryside has become a tax haven for the super-rich, and Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith meet the second of our Farming Hero finalists for 2019.

This week the team are in Hampshire celebrating our chalk streams. Anita is with the volunteers of the local Wildlife Trust who use novel ways to check for water pollution. She also joins a group of women with breast cancer who’ve found companionship and support through fly fishing. Matt meets the farmers who are trying different approaches to help reduce run-off from their farms, including one whose water buffalo were causing a bit of a problem. Joe Crowley investigates claim that factories are flushing polluting chemicals into watercourses, and he also meets Cyril Bennet, one of the world’s leading experts on mayflies, to learn about his work reintroducing them to rivers. Also in this programme, Adam and Charlotte meet the last of the three contenders for our Farming Hero Award.

This week Matt Baker is in West Yorkshire at the beautiful Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge. It’s 50 years since protesters saved this beauty spot from being turned into a reservoir. These days it’s a different kind of watery enemy that threatens - floodwater - so Matt joins volunteers working on various ways to prevent future flooding. He also spends an afternoon exploring the special habitat and diverse wildlife that thrives in this natural gorge, and whose existence depends very much on preventing floods. Meanwhile, Anita Rani meets a woman looking to change our laundry habits with tiny sheep-shaped tumble dryer balls. Anita also meets the dairy farmers whose Pontefract cake flavoured ice cream helped them bounce back after lean times in the farming industry. John Craven is joined by fellow judges Simon King and Cerys Matthews to launch this year’s photographic competition, Adam meets the Devon shepherd who’s taking on the best sheep shearers in the world and beating them hands down, and Joe is on the trail of the smugglers targeting one of our most endangered creatures - glass eels.

We’re in Lincolnshire where Ellie is kicking back in a bar where it’s not drinks on the menu but clouds! Visitors to this 'cloud bar' are encouraged to looks to the skies, spot a few clouds, and let their minds drift. Ellie also sees how eels are being used to combat the threat from invasive signal crayfish. Matt looks at a new way of managing the county's grass verges that benefits not just wildlife but the farming community too. There’s another of Adam’s looks at what Brexit could mean for our farmers, and he’s joined by Charlotte at the Food and Farming Awards where they’ll be announcing this year’s Countryfile Farming Hero. And Tom looks at whether funding art in the countryside is really worth it.

Machynlleth is the first town in Wales to declare a climate emergency. Anita pays a visit to see how the local community is coming together to do its bit in the fight against a warming planet. She stops off at the repair café where everything from bikes to old umbrellas is given a new lease of life. She picks her own veg at various help-yourself plots around the town and heads to the Centre for Alternative Technology where she cooks up a feast with the veg she’s picked in a big solar-powered oven. Also at the Centre she checks out the latest designs in solar heating and finds out that everything from cherry stones to bracken can be used to insulate our homes.

The Countryfile team are at the Royal Highland Show celebrating the best that rural Scotland has to offer. Matt Baker goes behind the scenes amongst the feathers and fleece, hair and horn. Stockmanship takes centre stage here, and the show is a shop window for the best livestock in the country - a chance for farmers to take pride in what they do and show it off. Of course rural produce is also on display. And there’s one delicacy so important to the Scottish economy it was recently granted special status to stop imposters from using its name - the Arbroath Smokie. Anita Rani meets fifth generation ‘Smokie man’ Ian Spinks for a real taste of tradition. Exports of Scotch whisky hit a record high last year, and Ellie Harrison meets one local lady taking a shot at the drinks market with her own award-winning Scottish gin. There are more than 900 prestigious competitions at the show and Sean Fletcher learns at first hand the art of competitive horseshoe-making from one of the best farriers in the business, Sarah Mary Brown. A show like this inevitable produces tonnes of waste. As recycling the waste produced by everyday life has become increasingly important, it’s become increasingly more complicated. Tom Heap asks if it is even worth it. Away from the show, Adam Henson sees the preparations involved for farmers, as they get ready to show their prized cattle at what is the pinnacle of the rural calendar.

In Bedfordshire, Ellie Harrison is on the Totternhoe nature reserve, hearing how tiny temperature loggers could help some of our rarest species combat the effects of climate change. John Craven visits the secluded estate of Luton Hoo, where the walled garden and the estate’s farmland have played an important role throughout the years. Both were used as training grounds for Land Girls, and John meets Zeita Holes who trained as a dairy maid there. Matt Baker spends the day on the Franklin family farm. It started life as a poultry farm, and has been passed down through six generations. But over the years the family have diversified to keep up with changing market demands, and their focus now is on producing slow-grown, 100% traceable food. They also supply their meat to another producer in the area making something that Bedfordshire only wishes had the same fame as its Cornish counterpart – the Bedfordshire Clanger! Adam Henson visits his Suffolk Punch, Lexie. She’s been in stud for the last few months and Adam’s hoping for some good news. It’s said we’re seeing a new dawn in environmental campaigning – where established power structures are being turned on their head. Tom Heap asks if the old way of working – where top-down policy-making is enforced and monitored by bureaucratic bodies hamstrung by red tape and a lack of resources – has had its day? The eastern counties of England are known for their arable farming. But the rich soils aren’t only perfect for growing all sorts of crops; they also nurture some very rare plants, as Margherita Taylor discovers, just over the border in Lincolnshire, where she learns all about the rare tall thrift.

This week the team are in Cornwall. Anita Rani is on the Rame Peninsula, visiting the Antony Estate. It’s quiet, calm and full of wildlife, and the managers here are working closely with one of their tenants to keep it that way. It’s rather an unexpected relationship, though – with the Navy! Anita also visits a family dairy farm that has diversified into making Cornish Gouda cheese. John Craven is inland near Truro, at an off-grid camp where children are swapping digital devices for the natural world. Sean Fletcher meets a film director bringing the plight of small rural communities to the big screen. Tom Heap meets the farmers at the heart of the UK’s bovine TB outbreak who are choosing not to cull badgers, and Adam Henson helps out with a cherry harvest.

The team is in Gloucestershire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Riding for the Disabled Association. John and Anita are at their National Championships, at Hartpury College. This is the biggest event of its kind in the world for disabled horse riders and carriage drivers. Three days, 200 horses and 500 competitors! We have an exclusive interview with Princess Anne who tells John of her long association with the RDA. Also Sean learns how to make a canoe out of flax. Adam helps with a cherry harvest in Herefordshire and Tom looks at the threat posed by equine flu.

John and Margherita are in Norfolk, where John is up at the crack of dawn to help with a release back into the wild of one of our rarest birds, the corncrake. He also meets the team behind the breeding programme and the farmers who are doing their bit by creating the right kind of wetland habitat for the birds. Margherita meets Shauna Richardson, an artist renowned for her crochet animals, an art Shauna calls crochetdermy. Margherita also meets the shepherdess and top sheepdog trainer who just happens to breed red squirrels too. Tom looks at how devices designed to scare seals away from salmon stocks could be having unintended consequences, while Joe is in Hampshire meeting a man who has made it his life’s work to save our mayflies, and Adam is in Kent meeting the young shepherdess making a name for herself in the sheepdog-handling world.

Matt, Charlotte and Steve are in Perthshire, where Matt visits Cultybraggan, a former prisoner of war camp that is now a thriving community of artisans, craftspeople and food producers. He hears about its past and meets people who remember it during wartime. Charlotte jumps in a kayak and takes to the water on a wildlife safari. She’s goes beaver spotting and hears how they’re becoming a big tourist attraction. She also tries her hand at stand-up comedy when she meets 'Farmer Jim' Smith, the farmer turned comedian famed for his wry look at the farming life. Steve meets the ladies growing tea in the south Highlands and learns the art of making the perfect cuppa, Tom looks at the hidden threat from microplastics in animal feed, and Adam is in Kent meeting the blackcurrant farmer rising to the challenge of climate change.

Sean is in the Lake District taking a look at some of the jobs working animals do. He joins Cockermouth mountain rescue team to see search and rescue dogs in action, and he meets 15-week-old Jura, a border collie pup learning the ropes from the older dogs. Then he’s off to see George Newton and his two Dales ponies, Charlie and George. They work the forests for timber as they’re able to get to places that normal machinery can’t. But Sean is surprised to find that the biggest job is being done by the smallest creatures, beetles. Katy Dainton and her team at Forestry England are using a predatory beetle to attack the destructive spruce bark beetle that threatens thousands of trees in commercial plantations. We’ll also be going back through the archives to take another look at other working animals we’ve featured, including some laid-back donkeys Matt spent time with on the Isle of Wight, the runner ducks that gave Anita the run-around in Norfolk, and the alpacas sprinkling a little joy with Adam in care homes.

Matt and Helen are in Warwickshire, where Matt is marking the centenary of the death of Joseph Arch, the one-time farm labourer who rose to become an MP. Arch fought all his life for farm workers’ rights and formed the first national agricultural workers union back in the 1870s. Matt also visits Wellesborne allotments, where the owners have recently paid their own homage to Joseph Arch, who was also a great champion of allotments. Helen learns about the importance of our hedgerows for wildlife and meets the team launching the first national hedgerow survey. She also joins the volunteers making a check at a secret site on the numbers of dormice there a year after a major reintroduction. Adam is battling against the elements to get his harvest safely home, and John, Cerys Matthews and Simon King are here to reveal the final twelve pictures the viewers will get to vote on in this years Countryfile Photographic Competition.

It was the greatest family and social upheaval ever experienced in Britain. Over the course of three days, 1.5 million people waved goodbye to their families as they headed off into the unknown - sent to live with strangers. 80 years ago to the day, on 1 September 1939, the first wave of evacuees were sent from towns and cities, under the threat of enemy bombers, to the safety of the countryside. It shaped the lives of a whole generation and its effects are still felt today. In this special programme, Steve Brown retraces his grandmother Rose’s evacuation from Croydon to Cornwall. We also have a special film with former evacuee, and patron of the British Evacuee Association, Michael Aspel OBE. Sean Fletcher experiences life as an evacuee with some schoolchildren at Acton Scott Historic Farm, Margherita Taylor meets some evacuees who were relocated to Chatsworth House for safety during the war, Adam takes Gerry Emsley back to the farm in rural Shropshire that he was evacuated to as a ten-year-old, and Tom looks at how the UK countryside is still providing sanctuary to refugees of modern-day conflict.

This week the team are in Northumberland, where Helen Skelton visits the Blyth Tall Ship scheme, where students from disadvantaged areas work with retired engineers and craftsmen to learn traditional boat building and shipwright skills. Joe Crowley meets a man on a mission - a slightly bonkers mission. Paul Farley is not only an award-winning writer, he’s also attempting to map Britain - in poetry. Places of Poetry is a community arts project where members of the public are invited to write poems and 'pin' them on a digital map of the locations that inspired them. The aim is to celebrate the diversity, history and character of the places around us. Adam meets the next of our contestants hoping to lift the trophy in this years One Man and His Dog competition, Matt has all the information on how you can take part in this year’s Countryfile ramble for BBC Children in Need, and Tom investigates the safety risks posed by the UK’s hidden reservoirs.

This week the team are in Dorset, where Ellie Harrison meets a larger-than-life character. He’s 180 feet tall and as well known as he is endowed - the Cerne Abbas Giant. But after nearly a decade of soggy summers and being trodden on, his power is waning. However, next year he has a hot date. It’s 100 years since the giant was gifted to the National Trust, and he needs to be smartened up! Ellie joins a group of volunteers to re-chalk the figure and restore it to its former glory. Ellie also visits a farm where you can harvest your own bouquet. You’ve heard of pick-your-own fruit - well, this is cut-your-own flowers! Steve Brown visits the only managed flock of mute swans in the world, at Abbotsbury Swannery. It’s thought to be the oldest continuous conservation project in the UK, dating back almost 1,000 years. Adam Henson meets the Welsh and Scottish contenders hoping to lift this year’s One Man and his Dog trophy, and Charlotte investigates the true scale of domestic abuse in the countryside.

Countryfile plays host to One Man and His Dog 2019 as the best shepherds from across the British Isles descend on the Scottish Borders to find out which nation has what it takes to claim this coveted title. Matt Baker and Helen Skelton present proceedings from Bowhill House, as the best youngsters and senior shepherds from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland are teamed up in a bid to win the trophy for their country. We also find out about the history of Bowhill House and its unique canine connection to rare breed Dandie Dinmont dogs, and how the River Ettrick, which flows through the estate, is at the centre of a project aimed at protecting declining numbers of Scotland's wild salmon.

Joe Crowley is in Cumbria exploring the lakes’ wild side. He meets Tom Lloyd Tom, who runs fell pony treks that follow old pack-horse routes. As they trek up into the fells, it’s like going back in time, treading in the hoof-steps of countless pack ponies before them. Fell ponies would once have transported all kinds of riches from the lakes in this way, like iron, lead and copper. Joe then hears more about the lakes’ industrial heritage as he meets the artists behind a new installation celebrating the area's copper-mining history. Meanwhile, Charlotte investigates the rise of far-right extremism in the countryside.

Helen Skelton is in Buckinghamshire reaping nature’s bounty for a harvest festival and learning about the history of harvesting and the traditions surrounding it – from the introduction of the threshing machine to the origins of the corn dolly. We’ll also be digging into the Countryfile archive to revisit the times we’ve got stuck in to help harvest our country’s varied produce - like the time Matt Baker discovered Jersey Royal potatoes are still unearthed in the same way they were 200 years ago, and when Adam Henson explored the newest techniques used to grow our fruit, meaning it’s ripe and ready all year round.

Countryfile is exploring Wembury, near Plymouth. It has some of the best rock pools in the country, as Joe Crowley’s discovering at the annual nature survey happening here, known as a bioblitz. Anita Rani unearths Wembury’s naval history – until not so long ago it was the sound of gunfire you could hear overhead, not seabirds. Ellie Harrison dips beneath the waves on the hunt for the watery wildlife that calls this place home. Adam Henson is moving some of his sheep and they’ve gone all up-market – Downton Abbey no less. And Tom Heap is on the trail of the ram-raiding gangs ripping out the cashpoints which our villages rely on.

This week Countryfile is in the Forest of Dean. Matt Baker hunts for the elusive adder and finds out about a project in the forest that is teaching locals heritage crafts. Margherita Taylor meets the brass band making a big noise in the area, and she also explores the extraordinary Puzzlewood to discover how a landscape like this is protected. Adam Henson is on his farm, keeping everything crossed as Lexie, his Suffolk Punch mare, gets a pregnancy scan, and Charlotte investigates whether enough is being done on the ground when it comes to boosting the number of trees across the UK.

For the fifth annual Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need, the team head out across the UK joined by viewers and some inspirational youngsters who've been helped by the charity. They celebrate the beauty of our countryside while raising vital funds for the cause. Matt Baker takes on the challenge of completing our longest ramble ever, laid down his ramble partner, 14-year-old Ethan, who was born with cerebral palsy. Ellie Harrison and Steve Brown lead the biggest ramble of all along the city of Worcester's riverside, joined by 16-year-old Aaliyah who suffers from the heart condition cardiomyopathy, while John Craven leads a regal ramble through the grounds of Perthshire's Scone Palace alongside 13-year-old Lucy, who was born with spina bifida hydrocephalus. Walking with Anita Rani on Cornwall's north coast is 11-year-old Cara, who benefited from Children in Need-funded bereavement counselling, after losing her older sister 18 months ago. Adam Henson heads to Northern Ireland's Glenariff Forest Park, taking in the area's famous waterfalls with children from the Eco Warriors group. And Tom Heap heads to south Wales to catch up with some of the many hundreds of rambles put on by members of the public across the country.

In this special programme, the team are looking at all things autumn. Ellie is on Alderney, where autumn storms have washed up seaweed that's providing a seasonal feast for an unexpected animal. She also takes part in a survey of gannets' nests, now that the birds have left for the winter. Steve is in North Yorkshire exploring the colours of autumn and finding out what causes this seasonal display. John takes a walk in the footsteps of the poet John Keats and explores the landscape that inspired his famous poem To Autumn, written 200 years ago this autumn. Anita is on the farm of Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks, getting some hints on pickling and preserving autumn produce. And Adam is in Herefordshire, meeting some farmers turning their seasonal crop of spuds into vodka.

Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are in Essex. Matt is with the Essex Wildlife Trust on Fingringhoe Wick – a newly created stretch of saltmarsh. It's a race against the tide as Matt helps the team do their first ever winter fish survey. They continue their 'wildlife stock take' by monitoring the mammals that also call this place home. Margherita Taylor hears about a project to preserve the spirit of the Dig for Victory campaign, before meeting Adrian Thomas from the RSPB. Adrian has done something that's never been done before in the society's 130-year history. Not only has he created the RSPB's first sound archive, but he also released a single using only birdsong! Adam Henson meets a farmer feeding his cows charcoal in the form of biochar, and Tom Heap asks if enough is being done in rural areas to support our veterans.

Charlotte Smith, Ellie Harrison and Steve Brown are on the Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk of Fife. It has a stunning coastline, top farmland and is the source of some of the best produce in Scotland. We’ll hear how it farms, feeds and supports the local community. Charlotte hears from the estate manager how they are overhauling the way they farm, introducing new techniques such as mob grazing. She also tries her hand at what’s being dubbed 'the fastest growing rural sport in Scotland’ - competitive ploughing! Charlotte also asks whether farmers are being stopped from cashing in on one of the high street’s fastest growing health trends? Steve is at Pittenweem harbour as the local fishing boats bring in their catch of the day, Ellie meets some local food producers and hears how the facilities on the estate offer a vital link in the chain from food to fork, and it’s a tense time for Adam Henson down on the farm as his cattle are tested for TB.

Matt Baker is in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, taking a walk through history. As well as building the backbone of the region's culture, the slate industry shaped the landscape, leaving behind apocalyptic wonderlands for lovers of the outdoors to explore. Matt is on the Snowdonia slate trail - an 83-mile loop taking in some of the area's least-trodden paths. Ellie Harrison is in the foothills of Llanberis, where the spectacular scenery is home to an activity project with a difference. The Outdoor Partnership is all about getting people outdoors. Nothing new there, but this is specifically for people who've rarely, if ever, ventured into the countryside before. From disabilities and additional needs to unemployed and all-female groups, it's all about inclusion in activities like climbing, hill-walking, rowing, sailing and paddleboarding. Ellie also meets Sydney Langton, who has a rather unusual hobby for a teenager. She likes to bring new life to dead things. Ellie meets Sydney to find out where her passion for taxidermy arose, and how she turns dead animals into works of biological art. Ellie's grounding as a biologist and naturalist means she can help Sydney put together one of her new models while explaining some of the fascinating biological elements of the subject. Meanwhile, Adam meets a farmer with a breed of sheep so rare, they were once nearly extinct – Manx Loaghtans. And Tom Heap investigates the impact of falling farm-gate prices on the British beef industry.

Sean Fletcher and Helen Skelton explore the Tees Valley. Sean meets the team behind a scheme to train dogs not to chase wading birds, although he’s got his work cut out handling 11-week-old collie pup Stanley. He also spends time with a group of visually impaired people on a sensory walk in the woods. Helen takes a tour of the mighty Tees barrage and sees how it’s improving the lot of wildlife at the mouth of the River Tees. Then she takes to the whitewater course nearby to be put through her paces by a crack team of Olympic kayakers. Adam Henson says goodbye to one of his favourite bulls on the farm, Archie, and Tom Heap investigates whether enough is being done to protect UK farming and food production from flooding.

The team are in Wiltshire, where John Craven visits a wood that has been ravaged by ash dieback. It is being left to die so that researchers can learn more about the impact of the disease. Anita Rani meets a craftsman who is keeping the ancient art of bee skep making alive. She also takes a trip to a wildlife hospital where the warm late summer has seen a huge influx of young hedgehogs too weak to hibernate. Steve Brown pays a visit to one of Britain's top wood engravers, Adam Henson is in Lincolnshire to see for himself the impact of the recent devastating floods, and Charlotte Smith investigates one of the most controversial methods of wildlife control, snaring.

Matt, Margherita and Steve are in Buckinghamshire, where Matt is with a group of schoolchildren making their very first visit to a farm. He helps them set up their own Christmas market with some of the farm produce they pick up. Margherita meets the people working hard to preserve some of the UK’s last box trees and finds out what is at stake for the crafts people that use boxwood to make fine woodwind instruments. She also takes a hike up Ivinghoe Beacon to meet the model plane enthusiasts flying their planes from the highest point in Buckinghamshire. Steve heads to Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital where he helps return a couple of barn owls to the wild, Adam goes shopping for a new bull to replace Archie, and Tom looks at whether publicly owned farms could help reinvigorate UK agriculture.

John Craven and the team are at Tyntesfield in Somerset, a stately pile that celebrates Christmas in high Victorian style. John meets the staff getting the place spruced up, and he gets measured up for his own Victorian outfit. Anita Rani tries her hand at making eco Christmas cards. Steve Brown helps make some decorations based on Victorian originals. Ellie Harrison explores the estate's ancient trees and sees the novel way they are protected from livestock. Sean Fletcher turns his hand to a bit of festive woodworking, Tom Heap looks at the plight of village halls, struggling in the festive season due to a lack of volunteers, and Adam Henson is on the farm, where cheese is being made for Christmas. The whole team come together with a 25-strong male voice choir, in full Victorian garb, to sing us out with Ding Dong Merrily on High.

Steve Brown is in Somerset celebrating the work that volunteers and communities do in our countryside. He spends the day on the community farm that’s bringing people together to learn about food, helping with mental health issues and doing its bit for the environment and sustainability. Steve helps with a bee count, meets the man who has turned his life around through woodworking, and helps pick an assortment of vegetables grown on the farm for a big alfresco meal with the volunteers.