0:00:05 > 0:00:08The Gower Peninsula.
0:00:08 > 0:00:1270 square miles of raw, natural beauty.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Only minutes from the industry and commerce
0:00:15 > 0:00:17of Swansea and Port Talbot,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20the wild beaches and country lanes
0:00:20 > 0:00:23are a magnet for over 3 million visitors a year.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27There's an island mentality here.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Gower people don't like to be told what to do and what not to do.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Traditional farming is dying out
0:00:31 > 0:00:35and land owners have to adapt to survive.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I do miss the flocks of sheep and the sheepdog and all that,
0:00:39 > 0:00:44but times have changed and you've got to go and seize the opportunity.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The Gower Society is dead set on conservation...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50If we don't respect it, we may as well kick it into touch totally
0:00:50 > 0:00:55and turn the whole of Gower over to some sort of theme park.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58..But locals say Gower shouldn't become a museum either.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02We're not slagging anybody off on here. We're just promoting...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04But at the end of the day,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07local people have to have local work and money.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And people here can be fiercely private.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12But as a year on the peninsula unfolds,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15we are witness to events both everyday...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18When does it have to be made? Is it the same morning?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- Because cucumber gets...- Soggy. - ..Soggy.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23..And highly personal.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Cos it was Dad, I really panicked.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I really thought he was dying.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33This land inspires conflict in those who want to make a living here
0:01:33 > 0:01:34and those who want to conserve it.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39But everyone agrees Gower is both extraordinary and unique.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49When we think of Gower,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53we think of long summer days and events like the Gower Show,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56where the great, the good and everyone else gathers once a year.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01We think of sunny beaches and warm seas.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06But our story starts six months earlier, in December.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Gower was the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Gower Society members are the self-appointed custodians
0:02:28 > 0:02:30of the area and its environment.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Today, Gordon Howe, Planning Monitor,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35will be flying overhead, taking digital photographs.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38We want to go straight across to Penclawdd
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and then we're going to go anti-clockwise round Gower
0:02:42 > 0:02:46and we'll end up back, you know, doing the usual run
0:02:46 > 0:02:49all the way back down into Parkmill.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53But this won't be an ordinary fight.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55It's a surveillance mission
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and some people think they're being spied on.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02If they aren't doing anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04HE LAUGHS
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Right, come on.- OK, then, Gordon.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Gordon will carefully check his aerial shots
0:03:11 > 0:03:15and compare them with past photos of all the camping and caravan sites
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and local businesses to see if anything has changed.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22There's one obvious difference to the landscape.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Farmers have been forced to think of new ways to use the fields
0:03:24 > 0:03:27that once held livestock.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It's a very busy time at the moment.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Whereas this field would have been full of sheep, it's full of...
0:03:33 > 0:03:34trees, you know?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And it will be for the next eight years, really.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Rob's family have been sheep farming in Three Crosses in North Gower
0:03:41 > 0:03:45for many generations and the problems facing farming
0:03:45 > 0:03:47have taken a terrible toll on the Morgans.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The sheep have long gone
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and Rob's new crop is just one of the diversifications
0:03:54 > 0:03:56changing Gower's landscape.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58I think the tree you're putting in now is number two...
0:03:58 > 0:04:01200,764 or something.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04You should plant them all by hand!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08On Rob's fields, the work goes on year-round.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But it's all geared to just one day.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Merry Christmas to you! Ho-ho-ho-ho!
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Oh, look, there's a sheep there.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21It almost nibbled my fingers off!
0:04:24 > 0:04:27So this is the nastiest elf you've ever seen? No-one gets past her.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- She is...- People tried sneaking in.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32See in the bag there? There's pepper spray.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33THEY LAUGH
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Planting Christmas trees instead of crops
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and breeding an arguably more appealing kind of livestock
0:04:40 > 0:04:42didn't come easily.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46It did take a lot of persuading for my father to give me a field.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48You know, we had 2,000 store lambs on the place then
0:04:48 > 0:04:53and every bit of grass was precious, to be honest, as it still is now.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56But, no, we planted, I think it was about 5,000,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58the rabbits ate most of them, I...
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I killed most of them with fertiliser and I thought,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04"This is never going to happen, this is never going to happen."
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Despite their early attempts at diversifying,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11the stress of traditional farming had already done its damage.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The sad thing is my father isn't here now,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17because he passed away through farming.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19And, you know, that...
0:05:19 > 0:05:22That's probably spurred me on into making a success of this
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and hopefully he's looking down on me proud,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28together with my great-grandfathers, to be honest.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Rob's father took his own life in 1999.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39That's the only drawback of it all, is not seeing my dad here.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41SEAGULLS SQUAWK
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Given their surroundings,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48it's no surprise that families like to stay in Gower for ever
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and pass on their businesses to their children.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53It's not always an easy transition, though.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- Morning.- Morning.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- I'm here to pick up some turkeys.- Right.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Philip will get them, now he's in charge of the poultry here.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02They got me stuck behind the counter
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and told me that I'm to stay here and not interfere.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09At Paul and Philip Tucker's butcher shop in Penclawdd,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Christmas Eve is one of the busiest days of the year.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17But there's a power struggle going on between the old ways and the new.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Busy days are probably better, because there's less time to...
0:06:21 > 0:06:22disagree.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Chalk and cheese is probably the best way to describe us.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Well, the weather is terrible. Look at it. It's pouring down.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36It took three years for us to start taking credit card payments.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38That's how long it took for me to persuade him.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44How big is your turkey? Is one going to be enough?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Yeah, I got some. Wanted to try... - Yeah, that's right.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Paul is well-known all over Gower
0:06:49 > 0:06:53and he's been an independent councillor for Penclawdd and Swansea
0:06:53 > 0:06:55for eight years.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Nice to see you. Merry Christmas!
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Hey, and don't forget, when I see you, it's your turn to buy the beer.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- Bring your wallet with you. - This afternoon or tomorrow.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04All right then, that'll do.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Philip is desperate to make his own mark,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10but Paul is very much hands-on in the business.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15I want to stay old-fashioned, Philip wants to go modern,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18but it's got to be a compromise.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22I tend to look after the older customers, more traditional,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26and Philip will do the modern-style cutting.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The old customers are dying off and the new ones are the future, so...
0:07:30 > 0:07:32they need to be looked after.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Philip's been revamping the order system,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38but it's harder to revamp his dad.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40I've always done the Christmas orders,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42always in a book.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Philip now has got it all on these spreadsheets,
0:07:47 > 0:07:48the modern way of doing things.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But...there we are, I've got to move with the times.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Whether it's right or wrong.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56He takes some orders in the pub as well.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58When he forgets to put them in the book,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01that can cause a bit of a problem.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04But they usually work out all right.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07But it doesn't matter where the order has come, as long as you take them.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08When I'm out socialising,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11if somebody wants to take an order, I'll take the order there and then.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13But there's always a problem remembering to write it in the book
0:08:13 > 0:08:15the following morning.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Philip's trying to drag the shop, and his father,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20into the 21st century.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22But he's not going to go quietly.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Well, I've been here now 27 years,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28so I reckon I'll be another 3 years until I've done 30 years.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31That will make me 57.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33So if I can hand over to Philip now, in three years time,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I'll be very pleased.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Easier said than done.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42There's more chance of him going out in a box, I think.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45There we are.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Thanks to its special status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56you won't see any high-rises or big modern developments in Gower.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Something that everyone agrees is a good thing.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04The Gower Society is made up of volunteer conservationists,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07but locals are often angered by their views.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12Gareth Howells owns Hillend Caravan Site in Llangennith.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Like many landowners, he's had a few run-ins with them.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Since I've been running this site, 16 years,
0:09:19 > 0:09:20I think I've probably put in
0:09:20 > 0:09:2210 applications to the planning authorities
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and I think every one has been objected to by the Gower Society,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29so I don't really see where they're coming from.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32We've often been accused
0:09:32 > 0:09:34of saying that we're trying to sort of keep Gower
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and we don't like any development.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Well, that's not true. We've all got to accept change.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I think they've lost sight of what they set out and intended to do
0:09:46 > 0:09:49in the first place, which was protect Gower,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but they seem to want to protect it for protection's sake, really.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I think they want it to be...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57you know, kept in the '50s.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00We are criticised, I know we're criticised
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and we're not idiots, we know what we're criticised for
0:10:04 > 0:10:07but, equally, we don't preach anything
0:10:07 > 0:10:10that is not covered in current legislation.
0:10:10 > 0:10:16They don't seem to see the balance between development and jobs.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They're certainly no friends of people like ours.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Battles with the Gower Society aside,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Gareth has more pressing matters on his mind.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26He has only three months
0:10:26 > 0:10:28to get the site ready for the opening of the season,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Easter Bank Holiday.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It is a race against time, because everyone expects their new unit
0:10:34 > 0:10:37to be on and fully commissioned by 1st March.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Once we finish with the caravans,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43which we always aim to do by the end of February,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45we then have to turn our attentions to the campsite.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49The weather impacts on everyone in Gower.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Gareth knows he needs to have it on his side.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Pete Jones, known as PJ,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59is watching the forecast for a different reason.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02He's one of Gower's best-known surfing heroes,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04a British and European champion.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07He's on the water every day of the year,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and appreciates the perks of being so close.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Living by the beach is a gift,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15so I can change within 400 yards of the beach.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18All the other guys are down there in the back of their cars,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21easterly winds freezing their balls off
0:11:21 > 0:11:23and I'm here, in the heat.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26And when I come out, I get in the shower.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Pete runs the Surf Shop with his wife Carol
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and his children James and Lucy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36He's one of Gower's best-known characters.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38I'll see you later, love.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Sorry to leave you in the shop to work all day, but...
0:11:41 > 0:11:43It's all right, I'm going to leave James there today.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46She's a great woman. She lets me go surfing all the time.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Right.- I'll get my own back.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51HE LAUGHS
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- See you later, Lu. - See you.- Bye, bye.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Yes, he's gone!
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Peace and quiet!
0:11:59 > 0:12:02We can all do what we want now!
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Pete's escape from the world is surfing,
0:12:07 > 0:12:12but for son James, it's also cycling, swimming and running.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14He's training for the Ironman triathlon.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17The roads could do with being resurfaced in a few places, but...
0:12:17 > 0:12:20it's great, really, for training, the Gower,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23because it's hilly, its undulating...
0:12:23 > 0:12:26you get crosswinds, headwinds,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28it changes all the time.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30I used to do triathlons when I was younger
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and I always wanted to do a big distance,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35but never really had the mental strength, I think.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37James finds that strength
0:12:37 > 0:12:42by reflecting on some of the family's toughest times.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46My dad and my wife have both been airlifted by the air ambulance
0:12:46 > 0:12:48over the last few years, so...
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I thought I'd do it for charity, so it gives me a bit of,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53you know, motivation that way as well.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55So, hopefully, when I'm struggling,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58that will give me a bit of a lift to push on.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04James witnessed the surfing accident which nearly killed his father,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06but all Pete can remember
0:13:06 > 0:13:09is the beginning of what seemed like an ordinary day.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I went over to Blue Pool,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14it's only four of us, cos it's super cold,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and I remember riding a wave all the way in on my long board
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and, yeah, I kick out...
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Great, you know, smiling, that's the last thing I can remember.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25What Pete didn't know was that a stray surfboard
0:13:25 > 0:13:26had smashed into his head,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30driving seven splinters of bone into his brain.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32It feels like it went really quickly.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It didn't feel like, even though we were on the beach for 40 minutes,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38it didn't feel like it was 40 minutes.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Because I wasn't there and I didn't see anything, I felt...
0:13:42 > 0:13:46sort of a bit like, "Our dad's had a bump, but he'll be all right."
0:13:46 > 0:13:49I didn't really take it in that it was quite so serious.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It hit me sort of the day after, really,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53or that evening and the day after,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57but, you know, it's just one of those things. We'll all go at some point.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00He's always felt that he's indestructible
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and can go on for ever and ever,
0:14:03 > 0:14:04but he can't.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Showing his usual determination, Pete has now recovered
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and he's back in the water whenever he can escape the shop.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18A little bit out of breath,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19but not bad.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21HE CHUCKLES
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Not bad.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Over at Hillend Caravan Site,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Gareth and his right-hand man Gary plan the week ahead.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40A new chalet is arriving,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42the largest ever to be delivered.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Did I tell you that that twin unit was arriving on Wednesday morning?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Who's putting it in? Is it our boys or theirs?
0:14:49 > 0:14:51It's not being craned in. They've seen the pad,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54they know what they're up against and they're going to be...
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Well, they say it's no problem,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57but if you just keep an eye on them, if I'm not here.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01But early February brings disastrous weather.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02There's a flurry of snow and frost
0:15:02 > 0:15:06which has affected journey times
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and the chalet is hours behind schedule.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11On the morning it arrives, the sun is shining again
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and the wind has dropped,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15but there's another problem.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The chalet is too big to get through Gower's winding lanes.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22There's a little wall on the back-left side,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25that they're going over by about two inches,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28so it should be just clear of the wall now,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30they've had to jack it up just to get it over that wall.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34The delivery is causing chaos in the village.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37We are blocking the whole road now so people can't get out,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and people can't get in.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42The first half of the chalet gets through,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44the second gets stuck on the bridge.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45But the biggest hurdle is ahead
0:15:45 > 0:15:49actually siting the chalet on top of the frozen beach burrows.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Happy to see it come in one piece,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55they normally knock gutters off when they come down here,
0:15:55 > 0:15:56down that lane.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Mind you, they haven't got it on the plot yet.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01That'll be a job for them.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07We've just got to see how long it takes now just to get things right,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09if we can get that first half up here and, to be honest,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12it might be better to try and pull the next one up tomorrow,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14once the ground has refrozen again.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18The light, though, is fading fast.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20I was hoping both halves would be here this evening,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22but that ain't going to happen.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Time just goes by, and you have to get the job done
0:16:25 > 0:16:27and that's what it's all about.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29So, I'd better ring my wife and tell her
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I'm going to be late for tea!
0:16:31 > 0:16:33HE LAUGHS
0:16:36 > 0:16:37It's a long night
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and early morning for the team.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42But the chalet is finally on site.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46However, there is a bigger problem looming for Gareth
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Everyone's short of cash,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and caravans just aren't selling like they used to.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It has hit everybody, the last couple of years
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and we're no exception.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Thought we might ride it out
0:17:00 > 0:17:03but, you know, we normally sell all our units,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06we've never got anything left by the end of the season
0:17:06 > 0:17:08but I think the difference is normally
0:17:08 > 0:17:10you could sell each unit 10 times over.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Last year, we found we could sell each one once
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and I think that will be the same this year.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25The economy will also be high on Paul Tucker's manifesto,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28as he canvasses for the forthcoming local elections.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- Well, hello, how are you? - All right, how are you?
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- I am out canvassing for May 3rd. - All right, nice day for it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37That's my leaflet, all about me.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Back at the shop, Philip is quite happy to be in charge for once.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46He should be flat-out now
0:17:46 > 0:17:48on his door-to-door,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50pounding the pavements.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Oh, nobody home?
0:17:55 > 0:17:57So, two leaflets through the door.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01And he's anxious to know whether his dad gets re-elected
0:18:01 > 0:18:04so he can get his hands on the shop.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Well, I'd like to think he'd get in. He obviously does enjoy it.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I think he enjoys it a bit more than he does being in the shop.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14It's like I say, he could take a back step in the business now
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and let us get on with it, so to speak.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I'd better shut the gate in case the horses or the sheep go in there
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and I'll certainly lose a vote then.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'It is not for me to tell him what to do,'
0:18:29 > 0:18:33cos, at the end of the day, it's his business
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and he's got to make the decision himself what he wants to do.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37I can rely on your vote?
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- Yes.- Good, that's all right then.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41HE CHANTS
0:18:41 > 0:18:43So long!
0:18:50 > 0:18:53At the Poundffald farm in Three Crosses,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Rob is going about his early morning chores.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00A typical Gower gate, they call this.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Held up by string and not on its hinges.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07As they say, it's... Whoops!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11He's spending some quality time with his latest attractions.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14This is my next big thing,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17my prodigy, the next big bull.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20He's been picked on by everyone this year, but next year
0:19:20 > 0:19:23he's going to grow the biggest set of antlers and be the boss.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28This is probably the Bluestone holiday camp for reindeers,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31but, no, it's great to have them around the farm,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it's nice to see them on a frosty morning.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Right, we'll go and see what the tree pruners are up to.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Rob's business, like so many in Gower, is a family affair.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50His uncle Howard is part owner, and a well-known local figure.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53His sister Cath works for them all year round.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59I think the government should bring out a subsidy where farmers get
0:19:59 > 0:20:03paid to employ their family members because it's far more stressful
0:20:03 > 0:20:07than employing someone like Paul who hasn't worked here before.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09It's never-ending, there's not enough hours in the day.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I could be here 12 hours a day.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15You go into one field and you think, "This is going to take
0:20:15 > 0:20:17"a couple of days," and you're there for days and days.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20But would you work anywhere else again?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21We have had moments, family business.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25I can't talk to Rob on Christmas.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I get called some very nice names around Christmas time
0:20:28 > 0:20:30off my brother.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Nothing ceases to amaze me.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34Like Rob and Cath,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37other families can find the winter a little testing...
0:20:38 > 0:20:41..especially when they're stuck inside.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44He doesn't watch longboarding, because he's a shortboarder.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49And he's not interested in style. James, are you going to watch it?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- Dad, shut up!- Just cos you can't do it very well,
0:20:51 > 0:20:52you don't want to watch it.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54You can only do a shortboarder.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Ups and downs of a family business.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00You don't know when to be business
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and you don't know when to be family!
0:21:03 > 0:21:04Hello, PJs?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Well done, you've done some work.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08We've got to keep the place warm.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09'Yeah, who's calling?'
0:21:09 > 0:21:12OK, hang on a second.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It's a good way of saving money on power.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17If we all put our wetsuits on,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21then we don't have to spend money on electricity or coal.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24See what we have to put up with?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Me and Mum just switch off.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28We just nod and agree with them
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and let them think that we're listening!
0:21:33 > 0:21:35When the family is on top of each other,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Carol loves to sneak a quiet moment to herself.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It's refreshing to have...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44To be married to somebody who is constantly...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47..cracking a joke,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49when you've been brought up
0:21:49 > 0:21:53with quite a sort of a grumpy father figure.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54And the children?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58The children have got his sense of humour, as well.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08He probably just wants to know what I'm talking about.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17If you love somebody, and that is what they want to do, have an affair,
0:22:17 > 0:22:18that's great, let them have it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20My dad said that about my mum.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So, I'll check and I'll call in there
0:22:22 > 0:22:25when I've been swimming on Monday.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- You haven't had an affair, have you?- No.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29I've only had...
0:22:32 > 0:22:33..12.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36You have had an affair with that woman down the road.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Which woman is that?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42The one that's... blue and wet and cold.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- The ocean.- Yeah.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45I see the white light.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48But I let you go off and have your affair whenever you want.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49You do.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Now go and do the peanuts now.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52I'll do the peanuts.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Can I come in through the back,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56will you let me through the front?
0:22:56 > 0:22:59You have to have a special password to get back in here.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02HE LAUGHS
0:23:02 > 0:23:03Come on, then.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07On the edge of sanity!
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I don't know quite sure which side we're on that line sometimes.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32The sun has finally started shining on Gower,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and the lads at Hillend have got a chance
0:23:34 > 0:23:37to get stuck into sorting out the fields for the campers.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Now we've had four, five days of this weather, it's made
0:23:42 > 0:23:46a huge difference, it's dried the fields out, it means we can get
0:23:46 > 0:23:49on top of them rolling them, cutting the grass.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Although they look good at the moment,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54it'll take a heavy shower and then we're back to square one but,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57no, I'm pretty pleased. I'm pretty pleased.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01HE CHUCKLES It always seems to work out.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02I always panic at this time of year,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06but somehow it always seems to work out so I'm pretty happy, yeah.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21It's Easter weekend
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and their hard work has been wasted.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Gales and heavy rain have kept all
0:24:28 > 0:24:30but the most determined campers away.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33And it's a bitter blow for Hillend.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36You spend so much time and effort getting them looking good,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38getting them flat, rolled out, cut.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42You get a few days of this
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and if you get some of the heavy camper vans in,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48you end up having to pull 'em out,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50the fields get messed up.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It's a typical end to a bank holiday, it's...
0:24:53 > 0:24:57It's one of these things with camping that you just have to take,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59you know, with the weather as it is.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Just a lot of grass cutting next week.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Think the best thing to do is go to the pub
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- and come back tomorrow, is it? - That's a bloody good idea!
0:25:09 > 0:25:12HE LAUGHS
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It's been said that Gower
0:25:21 > 0:25:24is a secret that people hug to themselves
0:25:24 > 0:25:27and it's true that everyone who lives here
0:25:27 > 0:25:30has their own personal haven.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Paul's special place is slightly different, though.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Beaches are no good to me, I don't like the beach.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38This is where like to escape. I've just finished work,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42I come up here for a couple of hours and enjoy.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I've been 40 years now, doing this,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47so it's a nice break from all the work.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49It's a month till the elections
0:25:49 > 0:25:52which will decide Paul and Philips' fate.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Philip's still hoping to get his hands on the shop
0:25:54 > 0:25:57if his father's successful.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I've got to win the election first, but at the end of the day,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03the members of the public in Penclawdd,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07they vote whoever they want and whoever wins will win, that's it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09All fed for another night.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Down now for tea.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Away from the fields and the business,
0:26:21 > 0:26:26Christmas tree farmer Rob finds his inspiration on Llangennith Beach,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30in the shadow of the Worm's Head.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32It probably energises me more than relaxes me.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Obviously I'll go back with a smile on my face,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37all the way home now. And I have a smile on my face every day
0:26:37 > 0:26:38when I know I'm coming here for a run.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42It keeps me motivated. I probably work harder, knowing I'm going
0:26:42 > 0:26:46to come to the beach in the evening and have run and see all this.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50But Rob's father is never far from his thoughts.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Maybe something good has come out of it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I've put my heart and soul into everything I do on the farm
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and I can't get stuck in the past,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00but he's with me every day of my life and this helps
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and on an evening like this, it's just soothing,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06puts everything in perspective and hopefully he's looking down
0:27:06 > 0:27:08and is proud of what he can see, obviously.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10But, yeah, it is a very difficult time.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Away from the waves and the shop, Pete's escape is his music.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23(HE SINGS)
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Playing the guitar, in this space, you're on your own again,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31it's like being in the sea, really.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35You can do what you want. You can feel your energy, I suppose.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Maybe my accident made me not think about money any more,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43at all, really, because when I started with the surf shop
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I had no money. I was just as happy then as when I did the surf shop,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51I've got plenty of money in a way, I suppose. I've got a lovely house,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I live in a beautiful place, but if I had to sleep in a camper van
0:27:54 > 0:27:56on the beach, with my guitar in my hand,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I'd be just as happy.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02# When I get older, losing my hair
0:28:02 > 0:28:03# Many years from now
0:28:03 > 0:28:07# Will you still be sending me a Valentine
0:28:07 > 0:28:10# Birthday greetings Bottle of wine
0:28:10 > 0:28:12# If I've been out Till quarter to three
0:28:12 > 0:28:14# Would you lock the door?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16# Will you still feed me?
0:28:16 > 0:28:17# Will you still need me?
0:28:17 > 0:28:19# When I'm sixty-four? #
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I'm actually 62 now, so I've got a bit of time!
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Next time in Gower,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30it's D-Day for Paul.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Stay cool. Stay cool.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36A local business comes under threat.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39If they take this marquee away,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41they'll take 30 years of my life away.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44And a killer is on the loose.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45I like to see a fox,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48but if they are taking the lambs and doing a lot of damage, well,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50you like to see them dead, perhaps.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd