Dwyryd-Y Bermo Arfordir Cymru


Dwyryd-Y Bermo

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Dwyryd-Y Bermo. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

-Subtitles

0:00:000:00:00

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

0:00:000:00:02

-On high ground such as this...

0:00:020:00:04

-..with the long arm of Llyn

-stretching out on one side...

0:00:040:00:08

-..and Pembrokeshire

-in the distance...

0:00:080:00:10

-..you can appreciate

-the enormity of Wales' largest bay.

0:00:110:00:14

-Cardigan Bay.

0:00:140:00:16

-This is Arfordir Cymru.

0:00:160:00:18

-This time we'll be travelling

-north to south...

0:00:380:00:42

-..in pursuit of names, folklore...

0:00:420:00:45

-..and characters from the coast.

0:00:450:00:48

-With expansive estuaries, striking

-causeways, rich mythology...

0:00:480:00:52

-..and industry, old and new, this is

-an enchanting part of the world.

0:00:530:00:57

-From sprawling sandy beaches...

0:00:570:01:00

-..to quaint harbours.

0:01:000:01:02

-From low marshlands to steep cliffs.

0:01:020:01:05

-Our journey begins at the mouth of

-the River Dwyryd near Porthmadog...

0:01:170:01:22

-..travelling south past Barmouth,

-Aberystwyth and Llangrannog...

0:01:220:01:27

-..before heading up the River Teifi

-to the ancient town of Cardigan.

0:01:270:01:32

-Though the accents

-will change along the way...

0:01:370:01:40

-..one thing will remain constant.

0:01:410:01:43

-The sea, its history and influence

-on coastal residents...

0:01:430:01:48

-..will flow through it all.

0:01:480:01:50

-This week's journey...

0:01:560:01:58

-..takes us from the Dwyryd Estuary

-past Morfa Dyffryn...

0:01:580:02:02

-..and along the shoreline

-to the holiday town of Barmouth.

0:02:020:02:06

-Moel-y-Gest was a hill-fort

-during the Iron Age...

0:02:090:02:12

-..with its inhabitants

-in constant fear of attack.

0:02:130:02:16

-Today the views

-are considerably more peaceful...

0:02:160:02:19

-..across the Cob, built in 1825...

0:02:200:02:22

-..reclaiming 8,000 acres of land and

-connects Porthmadog to Minffordd...

0:02:230:02:28

-..which lies beside

-one of the country's wonders.

0:02:280:02:32

-This ancient site

-was formerly called Aber Ia....

0:02:350:02:39

-..before Sir Clough Williams-Ellis

-built his iconic village.

0:02:400:02:43

-Portmeirion embodies

-the architect's wild imagination...

0:02:430:02:47

-..full of colour and wonder...

0:02:470:02:49

-..as though an Italian village

-has been inserted into North Wales.

0:02:490:02:53

-Views of the Dwyryd Estuary...

0:02:540:02:56

-..extending to Talsarnau

-are picturesque.

0:02:560:02:59

-When you

-think of northwest Wales nowadays...

0:03:100:03:14

-..you think of a rural area...

0:03:150:03:17

-..but it was an industrial site

-during the 19th century...

0:03:170:03:21

-..before Clough Williams-Ellis

-laid Portmeirion's cornerstone.

0:03:210:03:25

-Leading up to 1913...

0:03:250:03:27

-..260 ships were built

-in Porthmadog and Borth-y-Gest.

0:03:270:03:31

-This area would've been teeming

-with masts, with men shouting...

0:03:310:03:35

-..trains arriving laden with slate,

-hammers tapping away...

0:03:350:03:39

-..and anchor chains

-screeching across wrecks.

0:03:400:03:43

-Imagining that today

-in this perfect tranquillity...

0:03:430:03:47

-..is enough to give you goosebumps.

0:03:470:03:51

-At the centre of the estuary

-is a wooded island.

0:04:010:04:04

-Ynys Gifftan.

0:04:050:04:06

-Legend has it that Queen Anne

-gave it to Lord Harlech as a gift...

0:04:060:04:10

-..providing a meaning for the name.

0:04:110:04:13

-Ynys Gifftan. Anne's Gift Island.

0:04:130:04:17

-The island appears on a map

-from 1645 and is marked as Skysen.

0:04:170:04:22

-There's also a record of it

-as Ynys Cyftor...

0:04:230:04:26

-..but Gifftan is the more prominent

-name and the one used nowadays.

0:04:260:04:31

-Professor Melville Richards

-suggested...

0:04:310:04:34

-..it was a derivation

-of the word skiff, a type of boat...

0:04:340:04:38

-..followed by an abbreviated form

-of Anne, Skifftan, Ynys Gifftan.

0:04:380:04:42

-A farm was run here

-until the mid-1970s.

0:04:460:04:49

-The farmhouse still stands

-among the thorny brambles...

0:04:500:04:54

-..as if it expects the residents

-to return home any minute.

0:04:540:04:58

-The land opposite the island

-is a combination of grass and sand.

0:05:000:05:05

-Derwyn Evans spent many years

-working the marshland of Glastraeth.

0:05:050:05:10

-For a stranger like myself, this

-landscape is extremely striking...

0:05:100:05:15

-..but you're familiar with the view.

0:05:150:05:18

-I worked here for nine years...

0:05:180:05:21

-..lifting the sods.

0:05:210:05:23

-How did you do that?

0:05:240:05:25

-I'd cut them up

-and two others would lift them...

0:05:260:05:29

-..load them onto the trucks...

0:05:290:05:31

-..and take them away

-to be repurposed.

0:05:310:05:35

-Where did the turf go?

0:05:350:05:38

-It went to all parts of Britain but

-the majority of it went to London.

0:05:390:05:44

-What was it used for?

0:05:450:05:47

-All kinds of things -

-graves, repairing Wimbledon.

0:05:480:05:51

-Wimbledon?

0:05:520:05:53

-Wimbledon?

-

-Yes, indeed. Wembley too.

0:05:530:05:55

-So, turf from Glastraeth

-was used on Wembley football pitch?

0:05:560:06:00

-Yes.

0:06:000:06:01

-Yes.

-

-What makes this grass so special?

0:06:010:06:04

-Let me show you a blade of grass.

0:06:040:06:07

-It's rounded.

0:06:130:06:15

-I have photographs of you working.

0:06:170:06:19

-Is this you here?

-How old would you have been?

0:06:200:06:23

-About 21.

0:06:230:06:24

-About 21.

-

-So you'd load the turf onto trucks?

0:06:240:06:26

-Yes.

0:06:260:06:27

-Yes.

-

-Load it and away it goes!

0:06:270:06:30

-I'm sure you see the sea

-throughout the seasons here.

0:06:300:06:34

-Yes. I've been caught out here once.

0:06:340:06:37

-I was carrying turf.

0:06:380:06:40

-I was just about to carry one more

-load before finishing for the day...

0:06:400:06:44

-..when I realized

-we'd been caught short.

0:06:440:06:47

-We couldn't cross the bridge...

0:06:480:06:50

-..because the water

-was flowing beneath us.

0:06:500:06:53

-We didn't want to weigh it down

-in case we went down with it.

0:06:530:06:57

-So we stayed there and sat

-on top of the turf for two hours.

0:06:570:07:01

-Is it easy

-to be caught by the tide here?

0:07:010:07:04

-Yes. If you're unprepared,

-you'll be caught out.

0:07:040:07:08

-These trenches fill with water

-without you noticing.

0:07:080:07:12

-When you finally notice

-these trenches are filling up...

0:07:120:07:16

-..you realize the other trenches

-are higher and you can't cross.

0:07:160:07:21

-The sea will always be your master.

0:07:210:07:24

-He always creeps up on you.

0:07:240:07:26

-It's not nice.

0:07:270:07:29

-Not far from Glastraeth,

-on considerably drier ground...

0:07:390:07:43

-..is the church of

-Llanfihangel-y-traethau.

0:07:430:07:47

-The parish's original church

-was erected in the 12thC...

0:07:470:07:50

-..on what was once an island.

0:07:510:07:53

-Over time, the land dried out

-but the church's name...

0:07:530:07:56

-..considering its proximity

-to Traeth Bach and Traeth Mawr...

0:07:570:08:00

-..makes perfect sense -

-St Michael's Church on the Beaches.

0:08:010:08:05

-No matter which way you look at it,

-this enormous estuary is striking.

0:08:090:08:15

-Just around the corner

-is the village of Talsarnau...

0:08:150:08:19

-..whose name, quite simply,

-means beyond the causeways.

0:08:190:08:23

-A causeway is a path

-erected to cross wetlands.

0:08:230:08:27

-A stage-coach

-used to travel this area...

0:08:270:08:30

-..from the village of Ynys,

-northwards past Ynys Gifftan...

0:08:300:08:34

-..to Abergafren, beneath Minffordd.

0:08:350:08:38

-In an even earlier era...

0:08:390:08:41

-..the act of crossing water carried

-significance, it was something holy.

0:08:410:08:46

-Before stage-coaches,

-during the early Christian era...

0:08:470:08:51

-..travellers expected tides

-in sacred places such as this...

0:08:510:08:56

-..and prayed for

-a safe crossing of the estuaries.

0:08:560:08:59

-Travelling is far easier nowadays.

0:09:040:09:07

-Three miles southwards

-is the historical town of Harlech.

0:09:080:09:11

-The name's meaning is uncertain.

0:09:120:09:15

-Llech refers to the stone

-on which the castle stands.

0:09:150:09:19

-Hardd either means pretty or tall,

-but one thing's for certain...

0:09:200:09:24

-..the stone is archaic,

-dating from the Cambrian Period...

0:09:240:09:28

-..more than

-four hundred million years ago.

0:09:280:09:30

-A small step away geographically

-but a huge step chronologically...

0:09:320:09:36

-..and we're on the trail

-of the early Christians.

0:09:370:09:40

-This coast

-is awash with beautiful churches.

0:09:440:09:47

-Since travelling by sea

-was easier than on land...

0:09:470:09:50

-..it was along these shores that the

-saints came to spread the gospel.

0:09:500:09:55

-This is one of

-the country's oldest churches.

0:09:570:10:00

-Llandanwg Church.

0:10:000:10:02

-The elements try their hardest...

0:10:090:10:11

-..to batter this small church...

0:10:120:10:14

-..and often, parishioners

-have to dig it out of the sand.

0:10:140:10:18

-They are loath to lose it.

0:10:180:10:20

-And who can blame them?

-It's beautiful, I must admit.

0:10:210:10:24

-We know little about Saint Tanwg,

-the saint to whom it's dedicated.

0:10:390:10:44

-Some traditions associate him

-with Bardsey, others with Brittany.

0:10:440:10:49

-We know for certain that a Christian

-fellowship has existed here...

0:10:490:10:54

-..since the year 430...

0:10:540:10:56

-..which means the early origins

-of Christianity in Wales began here.

0:10:560:11:01

-In spite

-of the sand's efforts to bury it...

0:11:040:11:08

-..the old church remains.

0:11:080:11:10

-It could teach us a lesson

-on several levels.

0:11:110:11:14

-.

0:11:170:11:17

-Subtitles

0:11:200:11:20

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

0:11:200:11:22

-We're on a journey along

-the crescent of Cardigan Bay...

0:11:260:11:30

-..in pursuit of history,

-names and coastal legends.

0:11:300:11:34

-The only way to reach Shell Island

-caravan site in Mochras...

0:11:390:11:43

-..is when the tide allows access.

0:11:430:11:46

-Rhodri Dafydd

-is very familiar with the area...

0:11:490:11:52

-..and the whimsical nature

-of the elements...

0:11:520:11:55

-..as the senior manager

-of Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes.

0:11:550:11:58

-This coastal landscape before us

-is both barren and striking.

0:11:590:12:04

-What's this area called?

0:12:040:12:06

-We're sitting on Ynys Mochras,

-though it's no longer an island.

0:12:060:12:11

-The River Artro behind us

-flows into the sea.

0:12:110:12:14

-At one time, the river also

-flowed into the sea from the west...

0:12:140:12:18

-..which meant Ynys Mochras

-stood alone in the middle.

0:12:180:12:21

-On this archaic map

-dating from around 1830...

0:12:220:12:26

-..Ynys Mochras can be seen clearly.

0:12:260:12:29

-The Artro flows out here, but at the

-same time as the map was created...

0:12:290:12:33

-..it also flowed

-to the west of the island too.

0:12:340:12:37

-This part to the south

-has since been filled?

0:12:370:12:40

-Yes, to the south

-are the Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes...

0:12:400:12:43

-..and gradually over 800 years,

-they've been moving further north.

0:12:430:12:48

-It continued to happen...

0:12:490:12:51

-..until 1819 when they

-completely redirected the river.

0:12:510:12:55

-Since then, the gap to the west

-has completely closed.

0:12:550:12:59

-Morfa Harelch

-is a National Nature Reserve too...

0:13:000:13:03

-..and they're both connected.

0:13:030:13:05

-They're incredibly important sites

-geologically and geomorphology.

0:13:060:13:11

-They're also important for wildlife

-reliant on these landforms.

0:13:110:13:15

-There are all kinds here!

0:13:150:13:17

-Plants predominantly hold

-the dunes' ecosystems together.

0:13:200:13:24

-Some of them have names

-which baffle the imagination.

0:13:250:13:29

-The Welsh name for this flower

-is tag aradr, restharrow in English.

0:13:300:13:35

-Years ago,

-on land that was being ploughed...

0:13:370:13:40

-..it was a pain

-for people pulling the plough...

0:13:400:13:43

-..because this flower

-got tangled up in it...

0:13:430:13:46

-..preventing it

-from ploughing properly.

0:13:460:13:48

-It emits a pleasant smell.

-It's surrounded by wild thyme too.

0:13:490:13:53

-These plants are characteristic

-of sand dunes of this age.

0:13:530:13:58

-Look what's in front of us here.

0:14:030:14:05

-The Welsh term for it is Corhelygen,

-a tree belonging to the willow.

0:14:050:14:10

-The salix repens.

0:14:100:14:11

-It's one of the site's

-characteristic shrubs.

0:14:120:14:15

-It only grows

-in sand dunes where it's moist.

0:14:150:14:19

-You won't find it

-in many other places.

0:14:190:14:22

-Does it only grow to this height?

0:14:220:14:24

-Does it only grow to this height?

-

-It won't grow much taller.

0:14:240:14:26

-Rabbits graze on it but it

-doesn't grow to the size of a tree.

0:14:260:14:30

-Corhelygen with 'cor' meaning dwarf

-- small willow.

0:14:300:14:34

-It's obvious the landscape

-has taken years to form.

0:14:340:14:38

-You mentioned the sand sweeping in

-predominantly from Cardigan Bay.

0:14:380:14:43

-How do the dunes form and spread?

0:14:430:14:46

-The first thing you need is a piece

-of seaweed or driftwood will do.

0:14:460:14:51

-Sand will blow in...

0:14:510:14:54

-..and form behind it

-to create a mini dune.

0:14:540:14:57

-Once that's happened,

-plants creep in.

0:14:570:15:00

-It might get wiped out in a storm...

0:15:000:15:03

-..but the same process

-will happen the following year.

0:15:030:15:06

-These dunes are formed

-over a successive period.

0:15:060:15:10

-The more sand there is,

-the more plants it attracts.

0:15:100:15:14

-The further back you go

-in the system...

0:15:140:15:17

-..you can see

-where plants have grown.

0:15:170:15:19

-You get different plants

-in moist areas.

0:15:200:15:22

-You'll get even more plants

-growing under those conditions...

0:15:230:15:27

-..because plants die and create

-new soil to nurture other plants.

0:15:270:15:31

-It's a good balance, then.

0:15:320:15:33

-It's a good balance, then.

-

-Yes, it's completely balanced.

0:15:330:15:35

-It's interesting seeing

-all these changes occur each year.

0:15:350:15:39

-It's an exceptional place.

0:15:400:15:42

-The only other question I have is,

-how do I find my way home?

0:15:420:15:46

-The south's that way, so you

-should be heading in that direction.

0:15:460:15:50

-Let's try that then.

0:15:500:15:52

-From the sky, the area between Morfa

-Dyffryn and Barmouth looks calm.

0:15:570:16:02

-Closer to the ground,

-things are much livelier.

0:16:020:16:05

-From Ardudwy Beach, this stretch

-of sea is called Crochan Benar...

0:16:050:16:10

-..which is treacherous in a storm.

0:16:100:16:13

-A mile inland is

-the former site of Egryn Quarry...

0:16:130:16:17

-..which was in use

-until the 19th century.

0:16:170:16:20

-The stone used to build

-Harlech Castle came from here.

0:16:200:16:24

-Getting to these places is difficult

-if you don't know your way around...

0:16:240:16:28

-..but a path to the south

-leads to a fantastic vantage point.

0:16:290:16:33

-This route is called

-the Panorama Walk...

0:16:420:16:45

-..because the views from here

-are breath-taking.

0:16:450:16:49

-Travellers came to Barmouth

-along this route...

0:16:500:16:53

-..before a road was built in 1815

-and a train line after that.

0:16:540:16:58

-Here you'll get a bird's eye view

-of the Mawddach Estuary.

0:16:580:17:02

-Mawdd is probably a personal name...

0:17:030:17:05

-..as it appears in the name

-Dinas Mawddwy, many miles inland.

0:17:060:17:10

-Over time, the name Abermawdd

-became Abermo and then Bermo...

0:17:100:17:14

-..though Abermaw

-also appears on some signs.

0:17:140:17:18

-As you'd imagine, this route

-is very popular with tourists...

0:17:180:17:21

-..despite the fact that the medieval

-tavern that was situated here...

0:17:220:17:26

-..has long gone.

0:17:260:17:28

-They missed a trick there,

-didn't they?

0:17:280:17:31

-They say Barmouth was one of the

-first holiday destinations in Wales.

0:17:340:17:38

-Early holidaymakers

-flocked here to try a new fad.

0:17:390:17:42

-Sunbathing.

0:17:420:17:44

-John Jones or John Sam

-is a full-time resident of Barmouth.

0:17:460:17:50

-A former town mayor and the owner

-of a B&B who can proudly boast...

0:17:500:17:55

-..that his family

-has lived in Barmouth for centuries.

0:17:550:17:58

-I know you and your brother...

0:18:010:18:03

-..have been tracing

-your family's very colourful past.

0:18:040:18:08

-Both the town's history and

-my family's history is colourful.

0:18:080:18:12

-While they owned the smithy

-in Borthwen...

0:18:130:18:16

-..their history was respectable...

0:18:160:18:19

-..but something significant

-happened around 1880...

0:18:190:18:23

-..and all the men died,

-for some reason.

0:18:230:18:26

-I don't know if they'd been

-struck down by a disease.

0:18:270:18:30

-The women were left behind.

0:18:300:18:32

-My great-grandmother and her sister,

-two relatively young women...

0:18:330:18:37

-..started a company

-providing company for lonely men.

0:18:370:18:41

-Neither married

-and they bore lots of children.

0:18:410:18:46

-Because of that my great-grandmother

-was excommunicated from chapel.

0:18:460:18:51

-Some of their children were

-taken away from them by the courts.

0:18:510:18:55

-They were essentially orphaned.

0:18:560:18:58

-When it comes to my grandfather,

-she sold him when he was six...

0:19:000:19:04

-..to a farm in Dysynni Valley.

0:19:040:19:06

-They had no boys

-and they needed a farmhand...

0:19:070:19:11

-..so my grandfather

-went there aged six.

0:19:110:19:14

-Like any harbour...

0:19:140:19:16

-..I'm sure people

-had connections all over the world.

0:19:170:19:21

-The ships set sail from Barmouth

-to all parts of Europe...

0:19:210:19:25

-..down to the Mediterranean...

0:19:250:19:27

-..over to the Americas...

0:19:270:19:29

-..and up to the Baltic.

0:19:290:19:31

-Ships also docked here.

0:19:310:19:33

-There was always a mix

-of nationalities here.

0:19:340:19:37

-It was a rather cosmopolitan town

-which looked out on the world.

0:19:370:19:42

-We're approaching

-Captain William Davies' house...

0:19:480:19:53

-..known as Caprera.

0:19:530:19:56

-It's believed the captain...

0:19:560:19:59

-..transported a cargo

-from Barmouth to Genoa...

0:19:590:20:04

-..and it was there that he loaded

-another cargo bound for Sicily.

0:20:050:20:10

-As they were leaving Genoa...

0:20:100:20:13

-..someone asked him if he

-could accompany them to Sicily.

0:20:130:20:18

-The man happened to be

-Giuseppe Garibaldi...

0:20:180:20:23

-..who was an Italian nationalist

-who unified Italy.

0:20:230:20:27

-He lived on a small island

-next to Sicily called Caprera.

0:20:270:20:33

-The captain

-fell in love with the island...

0:20:330:20:37

-..and when he returned,

-he renamed his house Caprera...

0:20:370:20:42

-..as you can see.

0:20:420:20:43

-..as you can see.

-

-Names carry so much significance.

0:20:430:20:46

-You can see the whole town.

0:20:500:20:52

-Yes, between sea and mountain.

-The old town is on the cliff.

0:20:520:20:56

-The river used to fork here.

0:20:560:20:59

-A fork emanated

-on this side of the sand dunes.

0:21:000:21:03

-To this day

-we call those dunes Ynys y Brawd...

0:21:040:21:07

-..because of the connection

-with Cymer Abbey.

0:21:080:21:11

-When the abbey existed,

-all this land belonged to the monks.

0:21:120:21:17

-There are several places in town...

0:21:180:21:20

-..whose names

-have an association with the abbey.

0:21:220:21:26

-There's Craig Mynach, Cil Mynach...

0:21:260:21:29

-..Wern Mynach and so on.

0:21:290:21:31

-So this is the Frenchman's Grave?

0:21:420:21:45

-Yes, Auguste Guyard.

0:21:450:21:47

-During the period

-when the Prussians invaded France...

0:21:470:21:51

-..in 1880...

0:21:510:21:54

-..Auguste Guyard...

0:21:540:21:56

-..who was one of France's

-most well-known philosophers...

0:21:560:22:02

-..had to flee.

0:22:020:22:04

-He came here to live with

-his daughter and son-in-law.

0:22:040:22:08

-Paris was under siege and people

-were forced to eat dogs and cats...

0:22:080:22:14

-..and animals from the zoo.

0:22:140:22:16

-Victor Hugo

-feared for his little dog, Clara.

0:22:170:22:20

-Clara came to Barmouth

-with Auguste Guyard.

0:22:200:22:24

-No place of rest

-has a better view than this.

0:22:240:22:27

-It's wonderful, isn't it?

-It's magical.

0:22:270:22:30

-Some claim

-that a bunch of sailors...

0:22:470:22:50

-..decided on the name Barmouth

-in 1768.

0:22:500:22:52

-Truth is, the name

-was in use long before that.

0:22:520:22:55

-Perhaps for as long as people

-have been flocking here.

0:22:560:22:59

-Saints, seamen

-and wanderers down the generations.

0:23:000:23:03

-Tourists' modes of transport

-have changed throughout the ages...

0:23:030:23:08

-..but Wales' beautiful shores

-still attract them.

0:23:080:23:11

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

0:23:310:23:33

-.

0:23:330:23:34

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS