All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S03E02.England.-.Isles.of.Scilly.to.Weymouth.Bay.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-pawel2006_track3_[eng]

(wind whooshing)

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Our journey starts
over the Isles of Scilly,

at the very southwest tip of Britain.

The rugged coastline of Cornwall takes us

to the historic Falmouth
Bay who's fortresses

have guarded the harbor
entrance for centuries.

And nestled in an abandoned clay pit,

we find an extraordinary
ecological experiment,

The Eden Project near St. Austell.

Passing Plymouth Harbor and the biggest

naval dock yard in Europe,
we reach the Jurassic Coast,

one of the most important
fossil sites on Earth.

And we end our journey
over some of the finest

sailing waters in Europe at Weymouth Bay.

This lonely lighthouse
stands on the furthest

west point of mainland Britain.

Beyond it is the vast Atlantic
Ocean connecting Britain

with America, 3,500 kilometers away.

Up until 1992, this lighthouse
was manned by a crew

who would spend weeks at
a time marooned out here.

In earlier days, a small boat
would have delivered the crew,

as well as provisions,
often in heavy seas.

Today there's a helipad
on top so that engineers

can get here quicker, and more safely

to carry out routine maintenance.

Although these rocks give a
clue as to why a lighthouse

was necessary, it's presence
has a particular significance.

Because it's the site of
one of the worst disasters

in British Maritime history.

On the 22nd of October
1707, an entire naval fleet

ran off course in a ferocious storm,

resulting in the loss of over 2,000 lives.

As necessary as a lighthouse was,

building on Bishop Rock proved
to be a tough challenge,

and it wasn't until 1858
that one was finally erected

using 2,500 tons of granite.

Today boat trips bring visitors

to see this impressive structure

that's the second tallest
lighthouse in Britain,

and it's often referred to
as the king of lighthouses.

Bishop Rock is one over 140 islands

that make up the Isles of Scilly,

around 45 kilometers from
the English Mainland.

It is likely that the isles
were once much larger,

with many of them joined.

Rising sea levels
flooded the central plane

around the 5th century
forming an archipelago.

Today St. Mary's is the largest
of five inhabited islands,

who's chief income is from tourism.

Accessible by air and
ferry, the Isles of Scilly

draw visitors keen to enjoy
the sunny local climate,

blue seas, and golden beaches.

The most picturesque of
the islands is Tresco.

Despite Britain's reputation
of being cold, wet, and windy,

the island boasts a sub tropical garden

full of palm trees and a
greater diversity of plants

than the southern Mediterranean.

This is the passenger service

that flies between the Isles of Scilly

and the British mainland.

Flying began in the 1960s

and is the longest running
helicopter service in the world.

The journey lasts about 20 minutes

and it's a great way of
looking out for dolphins.

The first sighting of England's coastline

is Lands End in the county of Cornwall.

This granite crag is the most extreme

westerly point of Mainland England,

and a very popular place to visit.

It's considered to be one of the most

spectacular coastal strips in Britain,

with dramatic rock formations
such as the Armed Knight

and Enys Dodnan, the famous rock arch.

Just off shore is Longships Lighthouse

guarding these treacherous rocks

that have caused shipwrecks for centuries.

Stories of the 18th Century
tell of local people

living off the plunder from the cargo's

that washed ashore from the wrecks.

They became known as Wreckers.

They were said to
occasionally stand on cliffs,

or shore at night, and
shine lanterns out to sea,

imitating lighthouse signals.

(dramatic music)

Unsuspecting ships were
lured onto the rocks

where waiting teams of
Wreckers would loot them.

The penalties if caught were severe.

Transportation for life,
or death by hanging.

Today the cliffs are a wild
and beautiful place to walk

and watch the enormous
variety of sea birds.

Ahead is the fairytale
castle St. Michael's Mount,

perched on its own island.

It was originally a 12th century
monastery, then a fortress,

before finally being adapted

into a magnificent residence in the 1650s.

From the air it's a dramatic site.

However, for the unwary
visitor, the incoming tide

cuts off the island and can cause

a few problems getting
back to the mainland.

A little known fact
about St. Michael's Mount

is that the tower on top was
used as an early lighthouse

by using a fire lit in a brazier.

And in 1588, when an invading
Spanish fleet was sighted,

the fire was lit in a chain of beacons

that warned not only the fleet
stationed along the coast,

but also Queen Elizabeth I in
London, 400 kilometers away.

And from one form of signaling to another

that launched mankind into the modern age

of telecommunications 300 years later.

This is Poldhu Point, where
a simple stone monument

marks one of the greatest
events in history.

It was here, on December the
12th, 1901 that the first ever

radio message crossed
the Atlantic to Canada

and was picked up at Signal
Hill, St. Johns, Newfoundland.

It was a simple three dots for
the letter S in morse code.

The man who achieved this
incredible breakthrough

was the brilliant Italian
electrical engineer,

Guglielmo Marconi.

He housed his workforce in
this large white building

overlooking the sea, which
later became a hotel.

The transmitting station
itself was dismantled in 1933,

and all that remains are
these concrete foundations.

Today a small museum
commemorates the event

and is run by the Poldhu
Amateur Radio Society.

And only six kilometers
away, a site was chosen

for another historic transmission

that Marconi could only have dreamt of.

In the early hours of Wednesday
the 11th of July, 1962,

the first ever transatlantic
signals were relayed

via satellite to a dish nicknamed Arthur.

From there the installation grew to become

one of the largest communication centers

in the world, with over 60 dishes.

The Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station.

Over the years, Goonhilly
played a key role

in historic events such as
the Muhammad Ali fights,

and the 1969 moon landing.

But sadly, the dishes we see
today are relics of the past,

because in 2006, all satellite operations

were shut down in favor
of a newer station.

It seemed like the end
of an era for Goonhilly,

but in a surprising turn, it was announced

that the giant dishes will
be refurbished to be used

as radio telescopes by astronomers,

and for communications
with future space missions

to Mars and beyond.

Following the coast, we
arrive at one of the deepest

natural harbors in the world, Falmouth.

With its sheltered waters,
it's long been popular

with boaters, and it's
famous for being used

as the start and finish line

for around the world sailing records.

Today the busy port is an important part

of the towns economy, just
as it's been for centuries.

And guarding both sides
of the mouth of the harbor

are reminders of less peaceful times

when naval attacks by
the neighboring Spanish

and French were a continual threat.

These two splendidly
preserve 16th century castles

where the work of the
Tudor king, Henry VIII,

who's architects introduced

revolutionary new designs
to military buildings.

Like Pendennis Castle on the west side.

It's circular wall
enabled cannon positions

all the way around to
protect the harbor entrance,

as well as fire on ships
that slipped through.

Across the harbor to the
east is St Mawes Castle,

built in the 1540s.

It's a typical example of a Tudor fort,

and still retains its original
shape of a clover leaf.

Ironically, neither castle
fired a shot against an invasion

from the sea, which
they were designed for.

Instead, the were stormed
and taken from a land attack

during the Civil War of the 17th century,

something that Tudor
architects hadn't counted on.

Fishing was once a major
industry in Cornwall,

dating back to medieval
times, but it's heyday

was in the 19th century before
gradually going into decline

from over fishing in the 20th century.

However, many villagers along this coast

continue the prior tradition,

like Mevagissey, nestled
in a picturesque bay.

Though much of it's income
is now from tourism,

over 60 registered fishing vessels

still work from this port.

Not far from the coast,
these fertile farmlands

are interrupted by the
extraordinary site of one industry

that's still going strong today.

The St Austell Clay Pits.

With the exception of
China, Cornwall enjoys

almost a world monopoly
for the highest quality

pure white clay that's vital

in the making of fine
porcelain, as well as paper.

China clay, or kaolin, is only found

in a few places around the world.

And it was first
discovered here in Cornwall

at the turn of the 19th century.

Since then, it's continual extraction

has left this enormous
lunar style landscape.

High pressure water jets
wash the kaolin deposits away

in this milky stream.

It's then separated, processed, and stored

before being exported around the world.

Over 200 years of quarrying in the area

has left giant land scars.

But one abandoned pit now
contains exciting new life.

The Eden Project, one of the most

ambitious ecological
experiments ever undertaken.

These greenhouses, or
biomes as they are called,

are the largest in the world,
containing between them

100,000 plants covering
hundreds of species.

The biomes house two different climates.

One is humid and tropical,
the other recreates

the warm temperate regions of the world.

These domes are not covered in glass,

but a special transparent foil

that's both stronger and lighter.

The material is also self cleaning,

using the force of natural rainfall.

The aim of the Eden Project
is to promote understanding

of the relationship
between plants and mankind.

With more than a million
visitors each year,

it seems people are getting the message.

Back along the coast headed east

is one of the worlds largest

and most spectacular harbors, Plymouth.

This famous port is best known

for two great historic events.

It's said that in 1588,
the great naval commander,

Sir Francis Drake, was
playing a bowling game

on the very green where he was told

about an approaching Spanish fleet.

Legend has it that he
insisted on finishing the game

before setting off to lead his
ships to a decisive victory.

Also from the harbor in
1620 that the pilgrim father

set sail for the new
world in the Mayflower.

The 102 men, women, and children on board

would've found the first
European settlement in America,

a place they named Plymouth Colony.

This harbor has been
serving the royal navy

for over 300 years, and
today Plymouth is home

to one of the largest
naval dock yards in Europe.

With over 5,000 shipping
movements each year,

almost every type of naval
vessel can be spotted here,

from submarines to minesweepers.

Along this great stretch of
rocky coastline is a place

that has a special connection

with the best selling crime writer

of all time, Agatha Christie.

This is Burgh Island, home to a wonderful

Art Deco hotel from the 1930s.

It's where Agatha Christie set
two of her detective novels,

"And Then There Were None,"

and the Hercule Poirot
mystery, "Evil Under The Sun."

The island is cut off at high tide,

an especially built sea tractor is used

to get guests across the causeway.

During the first half of 1944,

much of this south coast
of England was used

to launch the historic D-Day
invasion of occupied France,

which eventually led to
the defeat of Nazi Germany.

This is Slapton Sands in Devon,

a section of coast that's remembered

for a tragic event during this period.

It was along here that 749 U.S. Serviceman

lost their lives during
a training exercise

for the D-Day landings.

Nine German fast patrol boats

broke the ally defensive barrier at night

and attacked the unarmed landing craft

carrying tanks and men.

It was one of the highest
losses of life suffered

by the US Army and Navy in
World War II at one time.

A Sherman tank, which
was sunk in this action,

was recovered from the sea in 1984

and now stands close to the beach

as a memorial to those who perished.

Just beyond this picturesque headland

is the Porton resort town of Teignmouth.

It also boasts one of the
most dramatic stretches

of railway line in England,

and is a tourist attraction
in it's own right.

This high speed express
is running along a section

of railway line originally
built in the mid-19th century

by one of the worlds greatest engineers,

Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

He built this section by carving it

into the red sandstone of the Devon coast.

At hight tides, the train
ride can be alarming,

as the sea often crashes
against the sea wall

and sprays the carriages.

However, such a thrilling
ride isn't without its hazard.

The railway company invests
over $800,000 a year

to prevent land slips which
have caused line closures

many times in the past.

In fact, this whole
section of Dorset Coast

is well known for landslides.

One of the biggest took place in 1839,

when after a prolonged period of rain,

eight million tons of rocks,

supporting 2/3 of a square kilometer,

collapsed into the English Channel.

Between the chasm and the
shore, an isolated area of land

was formed, which is now
known as Goat Island.

Over time, trees and
other plants have grown up

in the fall line, creating
a dense self-sown forest

that thrives in the shelter
of the higher cliff.

An extraordinary consequence
of this crumbling coastline

is that the exposed rock give scientists

a unique glimpse into the planets past.

This 150 kilometer stretch
known as the Jurassic Coast

is the only place where 185 million years

of the Earth's history are
reveled in the cliff faces,

making it one of the most important

earth science sites in the world.

The Jurassic Coast was
awarded world heritage status

in 2001, ranking it alongside
other natural wonders,

such as the Great Barrier
Reef, and the Grand Canyon.

Layers of rock that make up the cliffs

contained countless fossils
belonging to long extinct

species of plants and animals
from tropical sea creatures

such as ammonites to
swap dwelling dinosaurs.

But the person who really
put the Jurassic Coast

on the map was a girl named Mary Anning,

from what was then, the
major port town, Lyme Regis.

In 1811 when she was only 12, Mary Anning

discovered the first complete skeleton

of an ichthyosaur in the nearby cliffs.

She went on to devote her
life to the study of fossils,

and contributed to major advances

in the early science of Paleontology.

Today, just as in Mary Anning's time,

these crumbling cliffs
continue to reveal treasures

for the thousands of fossil hunters

who come and dig each year.

Ahead is Golden Cap, the tallest cliff

on the south coast of
England, and it's almost

200 meters high and gets its name

from the sandstone color of the rock.

From the top, walkers can
enjoy spectacular views

of the Jurassic Coast,

including one of the great natural wonders

of England, Chesil Beach.

It's a 29 kilometer
slim stretch of shingle,

formed by strong tides
over thousands of years,

which has also created
an inland sea lagoon.

For centuries locals have
fished off the beach,

and it's said that at night
they were able to tell

where they were by the size of pebbles,

which grew gradually larger

from one end of the beach to the other.

At the end of Chesil
Beach is Portland Harbour,

one of the largest manmade
harbors in the world,

and a haven for water sports.

The history of Portland
Harbour goes back centuries,

and until recently,
was a major naval base.

It took over 50 years to
construct the break water

which was completed in 1905

using thousands of prison convicts

to carry out the grueling work.

One function of the
break water was to defend

the ships of the worlds greatest navy,

and this could be seen
with the defensive forts

at the entrances.

This imposing structure
took 25 years to build

and is clad with iron half a meter thick.

And the millions of tons
of stone that was used

to build the break
water came from a quarry

that couldn't have been
closer, Portland Bill.

Prized for its hardness and color,

the first ever recorded
use of Portland stone

was over 1,000 years ago.

Since then it's been used extensively

by many illustrious architects for elegant

and prestigious buildings world wide.

The United Nations building in New York

was built using Portland stone,

as was Buckingham Palace in London.

At the farthest end of Portland Bill

are three lighthouses
that have over a period

spanning 300 years, served to warn ships

of the dangerous waters
around the headland.

As well as the undersea rocks,

this is where two powerful
sea currents clash,

making this stretch a graveyard

for ships that fail to reach the harbor.

Only one of the lighthouses
is now operational,

with the older two towers serving

as a bird observatory and a field center.

And finally, from some of
the most feared waters,

to some of the most desired.

On the other side of the
harbor is Weymouth Bay

that's renown for having the best

sailing waters in Northern Europe.

It's hosted some of the most
prestigious sailing events

in the world, from world championships,

to the 2012 Olympics.

It attracts some of the
finest vessels in the world,

like this elegant training ship.

It's a great sight, and a magnificent way

to end this journey.

(calm music)