The Countryfile team explores meadows, from the wildlife that makes the meadow its home to the plants that thrive there. Matt Baker discovers the art of scything with Britain's reigning female scything champion, and also makes hay whilst the sun shines.

Naomi Wilkinson meets an artist whose passion for meadows echoes through her vibrant paintings. She explores the RSPB site encouraging birds, bees, bugs and butterflies by introducing a meadow habitat. And she finds out about the rise in popularity of burial meadows.

John Craven discovers the folklore behind meadow plants and how their healing properties are being used in modern medicine. And Adam Henson is on his farm looking at his own meadows and grasslands. Tom Heap investigates the lack of affordable housing in Britain's rural areas and asks why we're still not getting it right.

Summer has arrived, and the landscape is in full bloom - it is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the countryside. And in a special programme, Countryfile are cooling down by the water's edge in celebration of the Great British summer. Matt travels along the coastline of south Wales with Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn, known as the first ladies of barbeque, sourcing the best cuts of meat for their summer beach party. Meanwhile, Naomi Wilkinson enjoys a summer evening punt along the River Cam in Cambridge, where she is joined by Iain Webb from the Wildlife Trust on the lookout for a feeding frenzy of bats. John Craven is on the river Waveney in Suffolk bringing in the summertime bulrush harvest for the first time in more than 50 years. Sean Fletcher gets on his bike and heads off the beaten track along the beautiful Pembrokeshire coastline to enjoy a spot of wild camping. And Adam is in Northern Ireland, where summer for one farmer means taking to the water with his cattle.