of more in way of cloud for some of scotland, milder, 10 degrees in stornoway, a little bit of rain for the northern isles but most places chilly and dry. very strong area of high pressure dominating as we go sunday into monday, more isobars, a wea ker sunday into monday, more isobars, a weaker weather front to the north of the uk so here it is going to be less cool to start monday, the green colours there but elsewhere further south under clear skies, another career start with force, perhaps some list fog to. a cold day, but the cloud further north and you can see as we head through the week it should stay largely dry, variable cloud and sunshine at times.

hello this is bbc news, with me, ben brown. the headlines: the queen has attended church at sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future.

the couple will no longer use their hrh titles and will give up all royal duties from the spring. in other news — powers come into force this week to stop stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims, while police investigate allegations against them. the conflict in libya, key world powers begin a conference in berlin aimed at bringing an end to nearly nine years of fighting. could the house of lords leave london? the chair of the conservative party confirms it's an option being looked at. rachel schofield will be here at 2pm. now on bbc news — it's the travel show. this week on the travel show: the swamp that is becoming a tinderbox. let's rehydrate this peat. same time, ready? three, two, one...whoo.

..where the amish go on their holidays. i think we have been very blessed to have a place to go like this. people accept us and it is quite unique. plus what will the 20s bring for travellers? 0ur global guru runs up his highlights for the coming decade. this week we begin the swamp.

this area is home to dark swarms of mosquitoes, blood—sucking ticks, poisonous copperheads and rattlesnakes and even the occasional black bear. back in the 18th century, this place was considered so bleak and inhospitable, it was given a name that was just as unwelcoming, the great dismal swamp. it is right on the border between virginia and north carolina. back when the us was formed, it was around 1 million acres. today it is much smaller, about an eighth of his original size and it looks very different. now it is protected wildlife preserve with trails for biking and hiking and a lake for boating. but the changes have brought some problems. the wetlands are now

much more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. in 2011, a devastating forest fire burned through 6500 acres, taking more than 100 days to put out. i am meeting the man leading efforts to save the swamp. it is a beautiful but windy day out on lake drummond. we're getting pushed around a bit in the canoe. but we've got a good guide, chris. a little breezy. what are these big trees here? these are bold cyprus trees. bold cyprus actually used to dominate the forest community here, historically, because it was a wetter environment so these trees were very abundant. while the great dismal swamp kind of sounds like the lair of a fantasy villain, but it is beautiful here.

it is absolutely gorgeous. i mean, it has got diversity of different ecosystems all in this one landscape. yeah, the name does not give it a welcoming feeling but, once people get to learn the area, they realise how special it is. we are actually walking along washington ditch, named after george washington who was one partner in the dismal swamp land company. these ditches were dug under his direction to drain the swamp, log the timber and then farm the land. "to drain the swamp" — he's not the only us president to say that. no, no, i guess not. it took more than 200 years of development for the wetlands to drain and for the area to become just a little less dismal. in that time, the swamp

featured in another chapter of american history. before the civil war, runaway slaves came to hide here. they formed communities and they were called maroons. so these people chose to live in the swamp? yeah, that's because life on a plantation was so horrific that they chose to be free and, if they had to go to live in the swamp to have their freedom, they just resigned themselves to do so. with mosquitoes, with snakes... very courageous. i'd say so. eric has traced his family history back to a slave, called moses grandy, who used to work in the swamp. after securing his freedom, grandy wrote a memoir. he did not have to live day to day in the swamp. he was on a plantation, but he described how some

of the people who lived in the swamp and who were enslaved, he described very vividly their conditions. i heard you are running tours? we do the underground railroad tour based on moses grandy‘s slave narrative. dealing with the great dismal swamp in the north of virginia. it is important for me to make sure that their history does not remain hidden and we are looking to carrying that on from generation to generation as well. but despite this area's dramatic past, its ecosystem is under threat. the drain started by george washington has dried out large section of the swamp. now, chris and his team are trying to re—wet it. this is one of our water control structures which acts as a little dam where we can manage the water, to raise water levels in the ditch, slow the drainage and then it allows to rehydrate the peat soil. these are called boards. we put them in these channels. cool and so those are about what?

six inches, about half a foot. so it will raise the surrounding water, raise this water and then rehydrate the surrounding area. correct. and why is that important? the ditch network that's been here dries out the peat, makes it more prone to severe wildfires. it also, because it subsides, it does not provide a base for our forest. you need healthy soil to have a healthy forest. it is hoped rehydrating the swamp will reduce the severity of future fires and, during the hurricane season, protect nearby communities from flooding. by holding more of the water in the swamp, instead ofjust funnelling down these ditches, which service pipes, i mean, drain pipes, it will actually reduce some of the peak flood flows and it also spreads out the extent of the flow across the landscape. like a giant sponge. a giant sponge, exactly.

let's rehydrate this peat. same time, ready? 0k. three, two, one...whoo. nice. well, it sounds like the swamp won't ever be as expensive or as dismal as it was during washington's time but that is not the point, is it? no, we are never going to restore the swamp to what it was. what we're trying to do, with managing the swamp is to bring back some of those past characteristics that are beneficial to promote resiliency going into the future. if you're planning a trip to virginia in the near future,

here are some things we think you should look out for: where most people start is the state capital of richmond. 0ur tip is to head to the new neighbourhood of scott's addition, an old industrial zone that has been regenerated. in particular, it has become a focus for the city's huge craft beer scene. download a walking tour and enjoy a day of brewery hopping. there's more than 30 to choose from so just make sure to take it easy. for the great outdoors, head for the blue ridge mountains and in particular shenandoah national park. there are 500 miles of trails to explore and five campsites to stay on. wild camping in the back country is also possible but check out shenandoah‘s website for some of the rules and restrictions first. this part of the world is also nascar central. there are good short stockcar races at richmond and martinsville but the biggest is bristol motors speedway, just over the border in tennessee.

the season runs from april to september. it is cheaper to book tickets in advance but you can turn up on race day and see it as well. make sure to get there early, though, as there is a realfestival atmosphere and plenty going on besidesjust the racing. still to come on the travel show... 0ur global guru brings us his highlights for the next ten years. and how this place became the amish disneyland. i have learnt a very important part of how to win at shuffleborders — pick a teammate that is much better than you. that is how you win. so, don't go away.

hello again. at the start of a new year, it is always fun to make some travel plans for the coming 12 months. but the beginning of 2020 gives an excuse to extend that horizon for a full decade. so this week i'm picking some of my travel highlights for the next ten years. 2020, of course, is an olympic year and tokyo picks up the baton from rio. i'm planning to be in the japanese capital for the games, but i won't be buying any flights or hotels until a few weeks before the opening ceremony, which is on the 24th ofjuly. i have observed a pattern emerge from all the summer olympics since, sydney 20 years ago. initially, prices are high. but as the extravaganza approaches,

it becomes clear that supply is outstripping demand and rates begin to fall. in 2021, i'll be heading for scotland for a transport revolution. by the end of next year, there will be self—driving buses on a spectacular route, shuttling across the forth road bridge every 20 minutes and carrying half a million passengers annually between the scottish capital and the ancient kingdom of fife. but to comply with safety laws, each vehicle will have a driver on board. by 2022, dubai's burj al khalifa could be deposed as the tallest building in the world. thejeddah tower on saudi arabia's red sea coast is expected to stand at least one kilometre high once it is complete, with an observation deck about two—thirds of the way to the top. it will also house the highest hotel in the world.

the 12th of august, 2026, will be the height of the european holiday season, and the date for a total eclipse of the sun. the stripe of darkness will traverse the spanish cities of bilbao, zaragoza and valencia before arriving here, on the island of majorca. in 2027, the great british university cities of oxford and cambridge should be reconnected by train. 60 years after the old railway line was ripped up, they will be barely an hour apart. currently, the journey by bus or connecting trains takes at least twice as long. the line will also serve two very different tourist attractions. bletchley park, the top—secret home of second world war codebreakers, and bicester shopping village, which is exactly as it sounds. los angeles gets another year in the olympics sun in 2028. the southern california city last

hosted the games in 1984. since then, downtown los angeles has been revitalised, and that is where i plan to base myself. after the closing ceremony, i will walk along to union station and step aboard an intercity train, either the express service that is likely to be running by then to las vegas, or the california high—speed rail link to san francisco. and 2030, well, that marks the intended completion date of an 8000 kilometre swathe of woodland stretching across africa from senegal to eritrea. the great green wall project aims to transform the sahel, the region to the south of the sahara desert, and build local resilience to climate change. the hope is to create 10 million jobs, some of them in tourism, as travellers flock to see

the changing face of africa and what's billed as the largest living structure on the planet. that's it for now, but keep your questions coming. you can contact us on any of our social media accounts, and i will do my very best to help. see you next time. to end this week, i am headed down to sarasota, on florida's glorious gulf coast, where every year a small neighbourhood is transformed by one of america's most distinctive communities. welcome to pinecraft. since starting as a tourist resort in the 19205, this has become a holiday hotspot for the amish. we have a mural here depicting everyday amish life. and a friendly man welcoming us. maybe we can ride the horse. the amish are christians that have held on to a simple, rural way of life. they are best known for their regimented plainclothes, worn for reasons

of humility and modesty. they also reject most forms of modern technology, some even avoiding electricity from the national grid. well, i guess we grow up working. i mean, we don'tjust sit around doing nothing. it's always, you've got something to do. and, like, in the evening, of course we read books. we don't have tv. and our children like to come home, we have cookouts. it is a very secure life. you grew up in an area where your life was always, sort of, you knew what to expect. course as time goes on, it's not so simple anymore, you know? we don't do things like we did 100 years ago or 50 years ago. this might look like a normal street in central florida, but actually many of these are amish holiday homes.

and if you look right here, this is a power line. even the amish want to kick back on vacation. the neighbourhood offers more modern conveniences than you might find in one of their traditional settlements. bicycles and golf carts replace horse and buggies, and the holiday homes, they all have power. we heard there is a saying that whatever happens in pinecraft stays in pinecraft. every winter and spring, an estimated 5000 people come to visit. but if you're not amish, you might have to prepare for a cold reception. they tend to keep themselves to themselves, not so much out of unfriendliness than modesty. and when the camera comes out, everyone tends to scatter. i've been to a of places and i've met a lot of people, and i fit in most the time, but here, obviously i stick out like a sore thumb here, and i don't exactly know how to interact. so it can feel a little bit lonely at times.

i head to a hotel which welcomes both amish and non—amish guests, where, luckily, john and wilma have agreed to sit down with me, and even then we take a while to warm up. so we will have some fun, make a few little pieces for television, and tell some stories like this one. can you both tell me a bit about pinecraft? there's no other place like it in the world, i don't think. why do you say that? it's really a social life for older people. you go to the park, it is kind of a gathering place where people come, sit and visit. there's a shuffleboard down there. and people, a lot of the older guys are shuffling, mostly men, but there's always one court open for the women.

so, yeah, you get to know people from a lot of different areas. different denominations, you know? they come in here and it has been interesting that people, what we would call outsiders, that are not really amish, just happen to be in the area, and now they are coming back ever since. there is that cincinnati couple, some of them. yeah. we have become close friends with them. they are nice, clean people, you know? not..people that you don't have to be ashamed of. i think we've been very blessed to have a place to go like this, that people accept us and, yeah, it's quite unique. 0n john's recommendation, i head to the park, hitching a ride on a very non—traditional mode of transportation. my new guide is immanuel, a long—time resident here in pinecraft.

so, this game is called shuffleboard. yeah. and what's the point? the point is to get your puck on the area that is marked. in shuffleboard, players are awarded points for landing discs within the scoring area. but land it in an area called the kitchen, and you are deducted ten points. so my teammate is the guy over in the blue. it seems like quite a popular sport. it is, very popular in the wintertime down here. and away we go! so i will try to get up there and see what i can do... that's right. alright, here we go. my first ever shuffle. my first ever shuffleboard. three, two, one... aw, i knocked us both out! i am hitting them, which i think is good.

but no—one has scored any points. 0h. it turns out the shuffleboard court is definitely the place to be. john has come over all the way from the hotel to cheer me on. i'm afraid you are not ready for the tournament. i was playing better until you showed up, i swear. so are we going to play or what? no, i'm just watching. just criticising? yeah, i like to criticise. no, i don't think that was good. their score goes up, oui’ score goes down. and now we're 26 and they're on 68. you might think there's four more rounds left but, it ends at 75. which means if they score one more. . . so if we don't knock this yellow one out, we lose. he has to knock two of them out.

and that looks like it is game over. game over? you win? we win. well, it was a learning experience. thank you so much. thank you, that was so much fun. i appreciate it. how was i? iwas 0k? yeah, for the first time. ok, that's good to know. apparently, all it takes to make friends in pinecraft is losing a game of shuffleboard. well, it looks like i will have to practise my shuffleboard skills. and while i do that, coming up next week... lucy is in the basque country, where tourists have been paying over the odds for a local favourite. and rajan is injeddah, the gateway to mecca, finding out about the city's incredible cultural heritage.

i seem to be part of the band! which is great, but i've no idea what i'm doing! so make sure not to miss that. but for now, from me, mike corey, and the rest of the travel show team here, in the united states, it's goodbye. good afternoon to you. our sunday morning started off very cold for most of us, very frosty, we also had some dense fog patches around, especially west midlands and north—west england. this picture behind me is pretty much how the

country is looking at the moment. a little cloud in places, particularly northern england. lots of sunshine in southern areas. this afternoon will stay sunny and cold for most of us will stay sunny and cold for most of us but there will be more cloud across the north—west corner of scotland, more of a breeze here. notice this area of cloud, the in north west england towards a west midlands which could be stubborn to clear and could linger all day. elsewhere, loads of sunshine around. cloud their care across the north west, 10 degrees in stornoway. a little rain pushing into the northern isles because we have these weather fronts nearby but elsewhere, chilly afternoon. a strong area of high pressure with us as we head into monday. sunny skies further south. more cloud and more breeze across northern areas. so as we had three sunday night into the early hours of monday, under the cloud, more of a breeze, not as cold as it will be across most of england and wales. temperatures down to —5 —6 in some of the cold spots, again mist

and fog could be an issue. further north, it will be rather cloudy with more of a breeze and less cold to start monday morning. a north— south divide. further south, start monday morning. a north— south divide. furthersouth, is a mist start monday morning. a north— south divide. further south, is a mist and fog through the morning. cold and frosty for most but at least you will have the sunshine to compensate. further north, thicker cloud for scotland, northern ireland, parts of northern england. ten or 11, so mild for the time of year but to the south around average for mid—january. as we head into tuesday, this weather front topples around the area of high pressure and begins to sink south across the country. it's a very weak feature. it will bring a thicker band of cloud, may be some spots of drizzle in scotland and northern ireland are moving south into northern england and wales into the afternoon. there will be some sunshine at the top and tail of the country. it will be a chilly day but where we have that weather front, about 10 degrees. chilly day but where we have that weatherfront, about 10 degrees. as weatherfront, about 10 degrees. as we move through the week, high pressure dominates. it will stay

largely drivers that you will notice quite a bit of cloud on the outlook. i think many places was a rather grey and there could be some hill fog. but there will be some holes in the cloud and some sunshine at times.

this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 2.00: the queen attends church near sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future. the duke and duchess of sussex will no longer use their hrh titles and will give up all royal duties from the spring. i think the whole country will want to join in wishing them the very best for the future. in other news, powers come into force this week to stop stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims while police investigate allegations against them. the conflict in libya — key world powers begin a conference in berlin aimed at bringing an end to nearly nine years of fighting. golfball—sized hailstones hit parts of the australian state