Britain's Most Scenic Counties: Cheshire - Season 1

Miles and miles of open fields set amongst gentle hills and ancient woods and parklands, Cheshire's great outdoors is a feast for the eyes. With numerous ancient bridleways to explore, Cheshire is ideal for horse riding. In the heart of the county, five miles from Chester, is a place dedicated to the welfare of these magnificent animals. Cheshire Horse Sanctuary is a refuge for abused and neglected horses and ponies, created by former nurse Tracy Brewer. We follow her as she tries to find a home for three adorable ponies.

In the heart of Cheshire is the historic town of Middlewich and it's here where a family run brewery is developing some unique drafts. Independent craft brewer Andy is hoping it might help him win best beer at the coveted Middlewich Beer Festival. For the occasion he has created a special beer in honour of a friend of his Liam who sadly passed away. We follow Andy as he eagerly awaits to find out if he has won.

Cheshire is home to Crewe, a town that was created to support not just a railway station, but a railway hub. Just outside its mainline station is the Crewe Heritage Centre, which celebrates the town's railway history. We meet train devotee Brian who is pouring his heart into saving a 1970s superstar in the train world, a disused APT. After spending 17 years restoring the train we check in with Brian as he refits original seating to one of the carriages and we learn about the rise of fall of this iconic train.

Founded by the Romans, the magnificent city of Chester is still vibrant and full of energy. Chester Market is packed with food vendors who sell a wide variety of food to hungry customers. It's here that we meet the Sharif family who offer diners a unique taste of food from Bangladesh. It's mum Sam's last day working before she retires and they are putting on a special dish to mark the occasion but will it be a hit on the day.

With around 200,000 sheep calling the fields of Cheshire home, someone needs to manage these unpredictable roaming flocks when they need to be moved. In this episode we meet the sheepdog handler husband and wife team Jane and James as they enter sheepdog trials. Over the past 30 years' James and Jane have been lucky enough to breed and train a number of champion trial dogs and we follow them and their dogs Holly. 

Cheshire is famous for its cheese. Since its heyday of the 1960's cheese produced in the region has sadly seen a steady decline and, today, Hugo and his family are the last to be producing cheshire cheese the traditional way. We follow the Bourne family as they attempt to revive a cheese recipe for the first time in decades and trial at their market stall in an attempt to appeal to a new generation of foodies.

As well as rolling hills and expansive countryside, just outside the market town of Knutsford, sits a magnificent stretch of Cheshires woodlands. These ancient trees provide cover and food for a whole host of wildlife, from large deer to tiny shrew. We meet Ray, a man who has made it his life's work to not only protect these precious forests, but also the animals inside it. We visit him and the team at the nature reserve as they nurse a Buzzard back to health and prepare to release back in to the wild.

North of the county there's another vista entirely… the Mersey estuary on the southern edge of the Wirral Peninsula... home to the pretty harbour town of Ellesmere and graphic artist Nicky Thompson. Nicky's work is world renowned and celebrates Britian's heritage and history but he has ever created anything that features his hometown. We join him as he creates a piece of art for the National Waterways Museum, paying homage to Ellesmere Port's canal heritage.

Moving 50 miles away to the east, we are in the town of Macclesfield as they gear up for one of the biggest events in its calendar, Treacle market. With over 160 stalls of unique crafts, vintage finds and exceptional food, the market has been attracting big crowds to the area for the past 14 years. Here we meet Waheed, a seller who imports specialist handmade rugs, jewelry and ornate bowls and plates from across his home country of Afghanistan.

Once boasting almost 200 of the grandest stately homes in the country, Cheshire harbours many of the finest piles still standing today. These lavish dwellings continue to evoke a sense of grandeur, history, and tradition and nestled in the south of the county sits one of its finest examples. Famed not for its four walls but for its elaborate gardens is Cholmondeley Castle. Here we meet head gardener Barry Grain as he struggles with unprecedented flooding after days of rain.

If there's one thing the county is not short of, that's quaint and characterful, picture postcard villages. In the east of the county is the charming village of Eaton with historic, white painted cottages. It's there that we meet Wayne and his apprentice Steve, who are two weeks into restoring an18th Century cottage's thatched roof but with winter drawing in, Wayne and Steve are under pressure to finish off the roof as quickly as possible.

This county was one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution that relied on waterways to transport goods... Britain's first modern canal – the Bridgewater canal – crosses Cheshire on its journey from Runcorn to leigh. In the tiny village of Anderton, in the centre of the county, is a unique Victorian canal relic, the Anderton boat lift, an example of the engineering prowess that transformed the nation. Still in use today, volunteer Jim reveals its magic he helps tourists get from the canal to the river.

In the 19th century no town in the country was more famous for its railway workshops than Crewe. Although trains may no longer be built here, Crewe works are still very much alive. We meet works manager Mark, who has a tight deadline to meet. We follow them as they overhaul the wheels of a commuter train in a high tec depot but will they pull it off in time for it to be back on the rails and back in service.