Countryfile visits Exe Estuary

It was great to see the beautiful Exe Estuary featured in this week's edition of Countryfile on BBC1.  It started with Adam (originally only reporting on farming matters but now so much more versatile) helping out in Topsham with the lifting of boats for the winter to protect them from the possible effects of winter storms.  I was surprised to hear that over 200 boats will be lifted this month.  Adam then crossed the estuary on the Topsham Ferry, which boatman Mike told us can be traced back 900 years and was possibly started by monks - now a small ferry, it was once large enough to carry a horse and cart!  Adam crossed over to the Exeter Canal which is now lively all year round and we were told by Jack Knott the harbourmaster that the canooists we see there could well be training for the 2012 Olympics.

Julia Bradbury then joined the exmouth mussel company.  The estuary is bursting with life even in the winter, which is the busiest time for harvesting hundreds of tons of young mussels and 'planting' them in the estuary to grow..  They fish to order, and sometimes collect 2 tons a week during the summer.  All the processing is done in the estuary and we saw them sorting and cleaning mussels on the Processing Barge.  The programme ended with Julia and Adam meeting up at The Turf on the opposite side of the estuary - usually closed for the winter but opened especially for Countryfile.  The programme did the Exe Estuary proud and I am sure it will encourage viewers from all over the UK to think of visiting our area.