Rambler My Story

This story belongs to Veer

and his Grandad David.

It's a tiny tale about Grandad David's life

and the things he used to do.

Now it's time for him to share his memories

and take Veer on a journey of discovery.

HE LAUGHS

And another good save.

Waah!

Thanks, Veer, for helping me. We need these thick, warm socks.

Now this looks like an adventure!

And this nice warm fleece.

And we need some sunscreen. OK? Going to put this in our bags.

-Have you got your wellies?

-Yeah.

Can I have a look?

Oh, that's good.

We're going to do something I used to do when I was a little boy.

We're going to go rambling.

What's rambling?

Rambling is like going on a big walk.

And sometimes you need a map to find out where you're going to.

And sometimes you need a compass as well.

I'm going to show you something that I found when I was a little boy.

Can you read the date on this?

Yep. 1...8...6...2.

That's right, 1862. And this is my treasure.

Ever since I found this old coin,

I've always been collecting coins and looking for places to find them.

Rambling and old coins!

This sounds like a good old-fashioned treasure hunt!

Look at these old pictures of a country called India.

It's a very big country which has big, busy cities,

small villages and lots of countryside too.

It's the country where Grandad David was born.

When Grandad David was still a little boy,

he moved to Cardiff in Wales,

which is a long way away from India.

He moved with his parents and brothers and sisters.

Cardiff is a big, busy city...

which has many interesting places to visit too.

So back to this treasure hunt.

We're going to need a treasure map.

Trees? Maybe it's a forest?

Water? Maybe it's the sea?!

Veer, what do you think of the treasure map?

Great!

The treasure map is looking good, Veer.

Let's get ready to ramble!

So what is rambling?

Well, rambling is going for a lovely walk in the countryside

often with family and friends.

Look at these old pictures.

People have been enjoying rambling for many, many years

and it's a great way to explore and see all kinds of different things,

like walking in the woods or climbing a hill.

And you might even see some wild animals.

-Are you ready to go rambling, Veer?

-Yes!

Can you see the old ruin down by there?

That's where we need to go.

-Shall we have a look at our treasure map and see here we are?

-Yep.

We are here.

And where do we need to go to get to the treasure?

In through the trees, down the path.

-Past the pirate ship?

-Yep.

-Down to the old broken house?

-Yep.

-That's where the treasure is?

-Yeah.

-Shall we go?

-Yeah.

Hold onto that.

When you look from here, it looks like a blue eagle and a red bird.

Watch out for this mud.

So when Grandad David was a small boy,

he found some treasure when he was out rambling.

I wonder what they may find today?

Well, Veer, can you see the old house just down by there?

Yes, I can.

-What can you see?

-The old window!

Good spotting, Veer.

That looks like somewhere that might have treasure.

-What's that, Grandad?

-Those are bluebells, V.

Shall we have a look at the map to see how far we came?

So which way have we got to go now?

We went through the forest,

then went by the path,

-we need to go down the path.

-Yeah. That's the path just there.

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

Let's go.

It's hard work being a rambler with lots of walking,

but it's also fantastic to be outside in the fresh air

with your grandad.

But, of course, you never know what the weather's going to be like.

The rain is coming down heavily, but Veer and his grandad

have found a heritage centre to visit in the woods

and shelter from the rain.

What a find!

And it wasn't even on the treasure map!

Look at all these chicks, Veer.

They look like brothers and sisters.

Do you know how many brothers and sisters I've got?

-13.

-That's correct.

We're six brother and seven sisters.

Wowwee! Look at this old picture of some of Grandad David's brothers

and sisters taken a long time ago.

What was it like playing with all those brothers and sisters?

Oh, it was lots of fun, Veer. We had a very big garden

and when it was raining, we had a table in the garden as well

and we used to sit underneath the table and pretend we were pirates.

Pirates?! Now that sounds like fun!

Wait till you see who else is at the heritage centre.

Veer, this is Phillip the goat.

-Would you like to stroke him?

-Yeah.

Hello, Phillip.

Did you know goats sometimes live high up in the mountains?

-No.

-That reminds me of a story.

A couple of years ago, me and your mum,

we went up high in the Himalaya mountains.

Now long did it take you to go there?

Oh, it took us a very long time.

We left early in the morning and we got there late in the evening.

It was very high up.

What did you see at the top of the mountain?

Oh, we had a fantastic view.

You could see the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.

And it was covered in snow.

We saw the blue sky and we could see for miles around us.

Oh, wow!

The Himalayas are a huge range of mountains

that are so big that they reach across a few different countries,

including India where Grandad David was born.

The Himalayas are a long way from Wales.

And look how beautiful they are!

Here's a goat climbing up the mountains.

How did it get up there?!

Grandad David and Veer's mummy Sharon

walked up a footpath that took them very, very high up a mountain.

The very biggest mountain in the Himalayas is called Mount Everest

and Grandad David has seen it, but didn't climb it.

Only expert mountain climbers can climb Mount Everest.

I wonder what else they might find at the heritage centre?

Veer, when we were small we used to camping all the time

with my brothers and my friends.

And sometimes it would be raining

and we used to just sit inside our tents.

But sometimes we used to go fishing.

We used to sit for ages on the sides of the riverbank

waiting for a fish to come.

Have you caught anything?

No, I never caught anything at all.

I wish I did.

Veer, would you like to go fishing?

Yes, please!

So Grandad David enjoyed fishing as a young boy.

That sounds like fun.

Let's get back to their treasure hunt.

And, guess what, it's stopped raining and the sun has come out!

Time to find that treasure.

-Can you see how the sea's coming in and hitting the rocks?

-Yeah.

There's lots of sand here, isn't it?

Yeah. But there's not lots of sand here, it's just rocks everywhere.

This is called Rock Way Out.

-It's slippery.

-Almost there.

-Water!

-Yes.

Wow!

They've arrived at the old house. So where is that treasure?

Shall we have a look on the map and see where we are?

-Yeah.

-We must be close to the treasure.

Where's the cross, Veer? Where do you think it is?

-Here.

-X marks the spot!

It must be just by here. Let's have a look.

I can see the treasure.

-Where?

-On the window!

That's right. Shall we get the treasure?

OK.

-Oh, look at this!

-What are they?

-Gold coins.

The pirates left the coins here.

That's right.

Fantastic! Lots of coins too! It looks just like the old coin

Grandad found when he was a young boy.

But, guess what, they're not real.

They're made of chocolate!

I think Grandad David and Veer

will enjoy munching on that chocolate treasure.

So you want a sweet, Grandad?

Thank you, Veer.

Grandad, thank you for taking me rambling.

Thank you, Veer, for spending time with me on our adventure.

What part do you like the best, Veer?

The treasure hunt.

Veer, you're a rambler now just like your grandad.

What a fantastic treasure map you drew.

And we found out all about Grandad's love of rambling

and got to meet Phillip the goat, too.

Grandad David was right, rambling is good fun.

So now they can eat their special treasure.

-Would you like to come rambling again with me?

-Yes.

That would be cool!

What a fabulous heap of fun!

That was Veer and Grandad David's tiny tale

about the things Grandad David used to do

and the fun he had and why he has an old coin.

Grandad David has shared his story with Veer

and now Veer is starting his own story.

Do you know someone who has a story to share?