RECAP: Further Tales from Northumberland - Episode One

Robson Green took to the skies to catch a bird's-eye view of the county in tonight's Further Tales from Northumberland opener, which has just finished.
Robson with Kitty and John Anderson at Kirkharle.Robson with Kitty and John Anderson at Kirkharle.
Robson with Kitty and John Anderson at Kirkharle.

The first episode of the third series, which was screened from 8pm until 8.30pm on ITV, was an action-packed affair. First up for the Hexham-born star was a trip to the former RAF training base at Milfield. Here, Robson was given a lesson in flying a glider, soaring like a bird over the Cheviot Hills. He described the experience as 'absolutely magical' and, after taking control of the aircraft, he added: "My father would have been so proud. He always wanted me to be a pilot." However, the flight from the former RAF training base also proved to be a poignant one for Robson, who said: "It is strange to think that over 70 years ago, World War Two pilots were training here over the landscape of Northumberland - many of them sadly never to return."

Next up for Robson was a helicopter flight over the gardens created by renowned 18th century landscape gardener, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Robson paid a visit to Brown’s birthplace at Kirkharle, where the current owners, Kitty and John Anderson, are continuing his legacy by bringing to life one of Capability’s long-lost garden designs. After his trip, Robson said: "Kirkharle does something that no other Capability Brown landscape can do - it lets us see how his gardens would have looked in his lifetime. Kirkharle is a great way to learn about the humble Northumberland gardener who transformed the English landscape."

Robson Green took to the skies above Northumberland in the series opener of Further Tales from Northumberland.Robson Green took to the skies above Northumberland in the series opener of Further Tales from Northumberland.
Robson Green took to the skies above Northumberland in the series opener of Further Tales from Northumberland.
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Finally, Robson visited Battle Bridge Farm, just outside of Alnwick, where one of the more unusual sights can be seen from the skies above Northumberland - a collection of 350 combine harvesters. Robson admitted: "It has a unique claim to fame - the largest number of combine harvesters in the country. From here (the sky above the farm), it is quite a sight. It is known locally as the combine-harvester graveyard. It is a unique monument to agriculture."

Reflecting on his bird's-eye view of Northumberland, Robson said: "It is amazing the things you can see up here that you don't get sight of from ground level. From the bends and curves of our great rivers to the rich colours of the farmland and countryside. There are some parts of this county that are really best seen from above. Every hill, every monument, every mark on the landscape tells us a different story about our past."

In each episode of the weekly, eight-part third series, Robson will tackle a different journey through Northumberland, including hiking the Pennine Way and following the route of the River Tyne. Along the way he’ll tell the stories of the people and landmarks he encounters on his travels. The third series also sees Robson take on exciting new experiences, including sailing a 100-year-old tall ship in the North Sea, fell running in the Cheviots, leading The Rothbury Highland Pipe Band in a commemorative parade through the village, taking a tour round The Alnwick Garden's Poison Garden with The Duchess of Northumberland and ringing osprey chicks in Kielder Forest. He’ll also uncover the stories behind Northumberland’s fascinating history, traditions and wildlife - including tales of Britain’s oldest working lifeboat station, seafaring explorers and Anglo-Saxon kings.