Episode 2 Gower

The Gower Peninsula.

70 square miles of raw natural beauty.

Only minutes from the industry and commerce of Swansea and Port Talbot.

The wild beaches

and country lanes are a magnet

for over three million visitors a year.

There is an island mentality here.

Gower people don't like to be told what to do or what not to do.

Traditional farming is dying out,

and landowners have to adapt to survive.

I do miss the flocks of sheep and the sheepdog and all that,

but times are changing

and you have to go and seize the opportunity, really.

The Gower Society is dead set on conservation.

If we don't respect it we may as well kick it into touch,

totally, and turn the whole of Gower over to some sort of theme park.

But locals say Gower shouldn't become a museum, either.

We're not slagging anyone off on here, we're just promoting...

Well, you're not, but at the end of the day,

local people have to have local work and money.

And people here can be fiercely private,

but as a year on the peninsula unfolds,

we are witness to events both everyday...

When does it have to be made, is it the same morning,

because cucumber gets soggy?

And highly personal.

Because it was Dad, I really panicked.

I thought he was dying.

This land inspires conflict in those who want to make

a living here, and those who want to conserve it.

But everyone agrees, Gower is both extraordinary

and unique.

It's early spring

and Gower's landscape is like an ever-evolving painting.

And the people who live here need to evolve, too.

Ian Williams runs the Oxwich Bay Hotel, like his father

before him, but unlike his father, he has broken with tradition

and added a controversial element to his expanding wedding trade.

This is 70% of us.

This is what drives the business,

maintains the business,

helps us re-invest in the business,

but you can see why so many people come here, you've got a wonderful

finish here, and then you've got that wonderful view, right across there.

Even in the rain, middle of winter,

it's absolutely fantastic.

But the marquee isn't to everyone's liking, and Ian has been

battling for four years to keep the structure up year-round.

The Gower Society, self-appointed custodians of the peninsula,

and Swansea planners, consider it a blot on the landscape,

contravening Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty regulations.

For Gordon Howe, the society's planning monitor,

those rules are there for a reason,

and his chairman, Malcolm Ridge, agrees.

For the locals, a pub that has got a marquee,

I am very unhappy, because

once things are going on inside a marquee,

if there is noise, if there is music, singing or whatever,

then all the noise comes out.

It is not restricted to inside it.

Anyone in Gower can put up a temporary marquee for 28 days,

and many do.

At Oxwich Bay, it has been there for over four years.

Some of them really seem to be using it as a way of getting

around building a new structure altogether.

But, at the end of the day,

-the security of the land estate must prevail, mustn't it?

-Yes.

It's got to, otherwise, again,

the AONB is meaningless.

But Ian claims that if the marquee isn't standing year-round,

and people can't see it,

they simply won't book it.

If they take this marquee away,

they'll take the business away,

and they'll take 30 years of my life away.

Paul Tucker is a butcher in Penclawdd,

and also its local independent councillor.

Tuckers is a well-known family business,

but there is tension between Paul and his son Philip.

I want to stay old-fashioned, Philip wants to go modern,

but there has got to be a compromise.

The future of the business now depends on the results

of the upcoming election.

If Paul wins, and regains his seat,

he says he will hand over the shop to his son.

But Paul is already having a hard time with some of his constituents.

Whether the other councillors are better councillors than you,

Paul, I don't know.

Well, the only thing I can say,

Swansea Council has been Labour for the last 30-odd years.

We've been in power for eight years...

And what have you done?

More than what Labour councillors have done.

What have you done, tell me, what have you done?

The roads in Penclawdd...

It is important then, for both of them, that Paul is out campaigning.

But even when he is away,

his presence is felt.

It's sometimes a pain answering the phone.

I think there should be

two separate lines.

"Press one for meat sales"

and, "Press two for council issues."

Me and Dan are like secretaries sometimes,

but he hasn't got a mobile phone,

so that's why we get lumbered with it, then.

If elected, it is

time now for Philip to take over

and for me to go into the background.

Time to give him his reign.

People say you have to be third-generation Gower to be

called local.

Gower Society planning monitor, Gordon Howe, has only been

here for 42 years,

but he has found some hidden gems in that time.

There's lots of spots like this, I think,

where people who love Gower will hibernate to,

they will always find out places

which are quiet and secluded.

They keep away from the busy places, the honey pots.

They come to places like this.

It is also a favourite spot for Gordon's son, Jem,

and his granddaughter, Millie.

Most people don't even know it's here.

So don't tell them.

He has had an electrocardiogram yesterday

because his heart was fluttering,

right, so here he is now.

Is this what the doctor said? Surf three times a day?!

He said, "Get a bit of excitement and you might slow it down a bit."

Oh, right.

My son and my granddaughter

are going to join us in the water

so there will be three generations of us in the water together.

Now, that is something special, I think.

Millie has grown up by the sea,

and surfing comes naturally to her.

She has just started competing,

and she's hoping to make

the Welsh team this summer.

But it is hard to judge your progress

when you are always in the surf with your family.

Because I don't surf with many girls my age,

but then if you enter a competition you, kind of, can see how

you are doing, so, I think,

and just satisfaction if you win, I suppose.

Millie won her first competition, and under the watchful eye of her

dad, she is gearing up for her next big one,

in a week's time.

If I ever do an MX meet just to only surf to win

competitions, and just to train,

then I'm just going to stop doing competitions

because I only want to do it for fun.

Maybe because it is so beautiful, families stay in Gower for ever,

and pass on their businesses and traditions

through the generations.

It has been unbelievable weather the last two weeks, really,

so we're just getting them in,

taking them round, off these cliffs here, by Worm's Head

round above Fall Bay, and they will be lambing in the fields

across by Fall Bay and Lewes Castle.

Nicky Beynon, like his fathers before him,

is lambing in the traditional way,

out in the fields.

One of the main difficulties working in an area like this, is it is

such a vast area to walk,

the labour isn't on the farms any more,

either, so it involves quite a lot of walking for myself, and Dad is

still pretty fit at 82, but there is only so much you can do,

but then we try and get them in now for lambing,

before the holidaymakers come.

But for Nicky's dad, Ernie, every day feels like a holiday

when he is out and about on the cliff-tops of Gower.

Very privileged,

to have had the health I have had

and have lived this length of time, because in my time,

I have seen a lot of young men, a lot of boys who were in school

with me have been dead many, many years.

I don't pamper myself in any shape or form,

but I do have a few rules that I stick to.

I have got a good a good appetite,

and I don't allow myself to sit around

in wet clothes if I do get wet on a wet day

and so far it's worked, but there we are,

who's to know when it will be...

We get on pretty good,

as good as father and sons can, I think.

He likes to do some things his way, and I like to do them

a different way, but we agree to disagree, sometimes.

Most of the ewes give birth naturally in the open fields,

but some may need a little help.

This one here has been trying to lamb for a while,

he is still alive,

and there is only one foot showing,

so he doesn't look too big a lamb,

he should come out with just one foot.

Nicky has helped birth more lambs like this then he cares to remember.

There we are.

But the next big challenge is keeping them alive,

predators are watching and waiting.

But at least they have been lucky with the weather.

The sunshine doesn't last long,

and over at Hillend caravan park there is yet more rain.

They have had a washout early spring,

and owner Gareth Howells can do without mistakes in the park itself.

-We've got a problem.

-What's the matter, mate?

-That caravan you have plumbed up for Mr Ellis.

-Mr Ellis?

It's the wrong caravan.

Mr Ellis? Where is it?

What do you mean it's the wrong caravan?

It's the wrong caravan.

He came to see me now, he said, "Any problems, come back and see me,"

I'll be expecting, you know, a loose tap,

or a door that doesn't quite shut.

It's only got two bedrooms.

He ordered three.

No, are you serious?

No, I'm serious.

It's not funny.

I don't know why you're laughing.

The problem has to be resolved or the customer will be paying

ground rent for an empty plot.

I'd have been tamping if I were him but he's all right.

But, he's got have a three-bed,

he's got four kids,

and he is going to go and see what they've got there,

and if they haven't got anything, he'll have to wait

for another one to come from Swift, which could be June or July,

which means he has virtually lost the whole of his season.

Yes, a good half a season.

There's been a catalogue of these this year, to be honest.

You get years when nothing goes wrong,

but this year has been a disaster.

I don't know.

These things are sent to try us, aren't they?

It is certainly trying me at the moment.

Gareth can resolve the caravan problems,

but he can do nothing about the weather.

It is the first week of May, and it is still bitterly cold.

All right, gents? Can I help you?

-Yes, can we just pay for camping?

-Yes.

We have got a bit of a problem with the fields, in that they are

soaking wet, so, depending on where you want to go, erm...

Is the second field open?

It's open, but not for vehicles.

OK, so you can camp on there but not...

You can but you'll have to park off-site.

And you'll have to collect your stuff in.

It has been the quietest start to a season I can ever remember,

to be honest.

I think it is the same everywhere.

I'm hearing stories that the restaurants in Mumbles are quiet,

the pubs are quiet,

the campsites are quiet.

I can only put it down to the weather, really.

People talk about the recession,

but I don't think that is affecting us to be honest,

it's the weather.

If the sun comes out, we are full.

If it doesn't, if it's cold, we're not.

Nothing we can do about it.

Take it on the chin, and get on with it.

It is competition day, and Millie is at Rest Bay, Porthcawl,

up against some of the best surfers from Wales and Cornwall.

Best two waves.

So, it is only two good waves you need, really.

Millie, is being coached by her dad,

Jem, who is trying his best to build her confidence.

She's a little bit psyched out by anyone who

isn't from Wales that she knows,

that's the problem.

And I told her, well they're probably thinking, "Oh my God,

"that Millie Zoeftig's here.

"She wins everything," or something,

so they're probably more worried about her then she is about them.

This as a warm-up to the Welsh Nationals, and she's eager to

make an impression,

but it is not a great start.

I don't think I've surfed well for what I've surfed,

compared to when I just go in by myself,

but you're always going to surf different in a competition,

cos you can have all the time in the world,

but in 20 minutes you have got to cram your whole surf into it.

So, I don't know what to think, it was a bit rubbish.

Millie's worried, but she did in fact win her first heat.

Now the next one is looming, and the weather is against her.

There is an onshore wind, bringing conditions that make it

hard for any of the competitors to show off their potential.

Millie is waiting, hoping for the surf to improve.

There's rarely surfable waves at Oxwich Bay, but that is not

what attracts customers to Ian Williams' hotel and marquee.

You've got wonderful shots here of Oxwich Bay,

and you have Three Cliffs Bay in the backdrop there.

Generally, in the winter, we do drinks outside here,

but generally, in winter, the welcome area for your drinks on arrival...

Ian is convinced that without actually seeing the marquee in place,

people just wouldn't book their wedding reception

from a brochure or a DVD.

The Gower Society want him to take it down in the winter months,

exactly when Ian says he gets most of his bookings.

Considering this is such an awful day,

it shows how much is being created by the fact that it is there.

If it wasn't there,

you wouldn't have the interest there is at this time of the year, and

certainly, on a day like today, there will be no reason to come down here.

It is beautiful, it really is.

I'm from Birmingham, and I've only been for a while, and when

I came down here with my partner I just fell in love with it.

As soon as we saw the marquee I wanted it and it has got to

the point where we love it that much that we're actually bringing

it forward by six months just so that we can have it.

Great?!

Couples may fall in love with the location,

but if the food is not up to scratch, they won't book.

The hotel's tasting day is a key factor in clinching the deal.

The tasters that we're doing today, we have 35 different dishes.

We're doing starters, mains and desserts,

and it gives them an idea of what we can do for their wedding day.

Wedding chef, Neil, has been at the hotel for 26 years.

Very good.

Very yummy.

Hello, there, how are you both?

-My name is Neil.

-Martin, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'll be the chef on your day as well.

Is everything all right?

-It's absolutely beautiful.

-Great.

-Yeah?

We really like the little blueberries.

It gives it a bit of sweetness, because it's got the cracked pepper

which has got a bit of bite.

Weddings now make up almost 80% of the business.

It's been the perfect day so far.

Everything is going very well, nice and smooth,

the restaurant's nice and busy,

it gives the kitchen a buzz,

and it is very hard to describe to anybody

who doesn't work in a kitchen

what that buzz is like on a busy day.

The Gower Society say they have local backing for dismantling

the marquee but Ian maintains

if he has to take it down, his business will be destroyed.

We have booked five weddings today.

The tastings we've had for all the weddings coming

up for the first half of this year have gone so well, with Neil

and Hannah, and the team down there.

It has been an excellent day, a real excellent day.

It may be spring, but it is a cold and misty morning in Penclawdd.

But it is the day that butcher and local independent councillor,

Paul Tucker, has been waiting for.

It is the day of the Welsh local elections.

Paul is fighting hard to retain his seat,

but he is worried that the weather is keeping the voters away.

There is a tremendous amount of postal votes,

so that is drying up now, and I'm sure that people, after tea,

they will come out and put a cross in the right place, hopefully.

Hopefully.

Paul's son will have a double celebration if his father wins.

Philip desperately wants to take over management of the shop.

It's not for me to say, to tell them what to do,

but at the end of the day it is his business

and he has got to make

the decision himself what he wants to do,

so we'll see what happens.

Back at Rhossili, the problems for another father

and son are just beginning.

Sheep farmers, Ernie and Nicky Beynon, do their lambing in open

fields and there are threats from above,

as well as on the ground.

The great black-backed gulls, the big ones, they kill lambs quite

badly, sometimes they will pull their intestines out,

through their navel cord,

but they've attacked that one quite badly there.

But that is part of it,

there's nothing you can do.

But the Beynons have started losing four of five lambs a night,

and they urgently need to find the culprit.

Could well be a fox,

having eaten most of its head.

It is a problem. If he knows this is his supply of food

he will come here every night, sometime in the night and if you do

get one, he can be a pain,

because he can kill three or four lambs the same

night, and he doesn't eat a third of one lamb, but he's just mischievous.

I like to see a fox, but then if they are taking the lambs,

and doing a lot of damage, well,

you like to see them dead, perhaps.

If the Beynons are to earn their living this spring,

they need to find the fox - and fast.

Jump in.

Oh, bloody here, dog.

Jay, jump in.

It's the final of the surfing competition,

and Welsh team hopeful, Millie, is getting vital,

last-minute advice from Welsh champion, Lloyd Cole.

What you have to do, is let them go down,

they'll paddle out, then you go down and then paddle off.

I go that way.

Cos they'll start the heat, and they will say,

"Where is Millie?"

And then they'll just see you on a bottom right, over there.

As Millie runs towards the final,

her dad is still worrying about the weather conditions.

As a father, all I want to do, is see her surf well.

It doesn't matter if she doesn't win, I really just hate it

when you have a surf like that last heat,

when she didn't really have proper waves.

She won it, but I want to see her surfing properly, surfing

a couple of tidy waves that run all the way through,

where she does a turn.

Competition is tough,

and Millie just can't find the right, clean waves.

She can't show off her turns.

But as all good dads do,

Jem looks on the bright side.

She was always slightly in the wrong place,

but not because of her, just bad luck.

You just have those surfs where you're just always in the wrong spot,

and that's what happened,

and then when she did have a good one she's probably, towards the end

of the last 5 minutes, she was so tight and, "Oh, God, I need a wave,"

that she was nervous and fell off,

so she hasn't done very well, I'm afraid.

It's just really annoying surf,

I suppose it's just unlucky, really.

I don't know, I will probably be lucky to come fourth.

It's just stupid.

In fact, Millie was right, she did come fourth,

a big disappointment for her.

But she will have a chance to turn it around in a few weeks time,

when she surfs in the Welsh National Championships.

Spring brings many changes to the Gower landscape.

And at the Oxwich Bay Hotel,

it's the start of the wedding season.

There is a buzz in the air, both outside and inside the marquee,

as the team get ready for the next bride and groom.

We'll aim to finish about an hour before,

so that we can just go over that all the little bits,

and to make sure it's all done,

and just wait for the wedding party to arrive then.

It's started now, we are on the 12 o'clock mark,

this is the time we start getting prepared to have everything

ready. The canapes are the first thing that go out,

a lot of the lads do the canapes,

so I shall carry on with the dinner

because you have more things to cook

to have it ready by the 3.30 service.

This wedding party is local, and the guests know Gower well.

The spring sunshine is a welcome bonus.

It is, in fact, the most beautiful place in Britain, isn't it?

Hello!

CHEERING

Are you going to carry me?

Yeah, of course.

There is a fine line between conserving Gower

and stopping the locals making a living.

And people like Ian, at the Oxwich Bay, believe the Gower Society are

in danger of crossing it if he ends up having to take down the marquee.

An event like this, he says, helps the local economy.

I am employing 50 people this week.

In about two months time I'll employ 80 people.

That is nearly 10% of all the people employed in tourism in Gower.

I think that's something to be very proud of -

I am.

The marquee is safe for now.

But the uncertainty surrounding its future continues.

Over at Fall Bay, farmers Ernie and Nicky,

have seen off a more immediate threat to their business.

He was up in the fields there where the twins are lambing.

We put the light on him first, and we couldn't get a shot at him,

-because he was in amongst all the ewes and lambs.

-Yeah.

Every time we tried to get a shot at him,

he was trying to divide the ewes and lambs off.

I've never seen one working like it.

Shooting a rogue fox is just one of the harsh realities of country life.

Nicky and Ernie breed sheep for a living,

and every lamb counts.

You know how much pressure is on, because you know, that fox was

killing four or five lambs a night, some nights.

He has taken a lot of money's worth of sheep,

he has just eaten the forehead

and the brains out of them.

And the tongue, very often.

He was causing a lot of damage, really,

so it did feel good to get him, actually.

As night falls on Swansea, it is

an anxious time for Paul at County Hall.

The voting has closed,

and the count begins, as the ballot boxes are brought in.

The postal votes have gone in there as well,

so I was relying quite a bit on the postal vote,

but it's his job now to say what is happening.

Whatever, I'll be butchering in the morning,

in any case, whatever happens.

For the first time in his campaign, Paul sounds doubtful.

More butchering rather than council work is not something

his son Philip will be happy with.

Well, it looks quite tight.

But there is another table there as well,

so what is happening over there, I don't know.

Stay cool.

Stay cool.

Easier said than done for Paul,

who has been through the process twice before, and knows

that this time he's facing a stiff Labour opposition.

After hours of waiting and speculating, it's

time for the official results.

Rhanbarth etholiadol Penclawdd - Penclawdd electoral division.

Thomas Mark, Welsh Labour,

Llafur Cymru,

890.

David Hall,

493.

And I hereby declare that Mark Thomas has been duly elected.

CHEERING

It is devastating for Paul.

The Labour candidate got twice as many votes,

and Paul has lost his seat.

-I've gone.

-You've gone, have you?

Definitely, gone.

-What, lost?

-Yeah.

No. Good gosh.

It was the Labour machine.

Never, a surprise, that.

Magnanimous in victory, magnanimous in defeat.

Every time, every time.

Five years?

Five years, it's slipped by, hasn't it?

Yes. Hey you, we'll get back in.

We'll get back in there.

I just shook Mark's hand,

and I conceded that I've got to give it to a younger man,

only a year younger, but still, I've done the best I could,

I gave it all the time that I possibly could

and I can't do any more than that.

The question is, will Paul still want to hand over the business

to his son, Philip, now that he has been ousted from the council.

It has been a long night, and Paul heads home to Penclawdd.

Next time, some rare sunshine at Hillend caravan park,

but there's a problem.

I wasn't expecting this, to be honest.

It wasn't on my list of things to do, I must admit.

It is the build-up to the Gower Show, and for the WI, it is

decision time.

Why don't you have a purple-leaf lettuce, as well?

Oh, yes.

ALL: Ooh!

And will the continuing bad weather spoil Gower's big day out?

You don't want this on a Saturday.

That's when things get messed up.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media