0:00:02 > 0:00:07For thousands of years, farming has shaped the landscape of Wales.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Hey, come on!
0:00:11 > 0:00:16Generations of farmers have worked the land and, in Snowdonia,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18one family has been farming the slopes
0:00:18 > 0:00:22of the Carneddau Mountains for centuries.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Meet the Joneses.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30For 350 years, my family can say that we have farmed this valley.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35Gareth Wyn Jones is the latest in a long line of hill farmers
0:00:35 > 0:00:38to rear sheep on the mountains near Llanfairfechan
0:00:38 > 0:00:40on the North Wales coast.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43But the way we buy our food has changed.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Lots of people have lost contact with the land,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50with agriculture, with farmers.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Gareth's wife, Rhian, takes care of the family,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56their home and the garden.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Picking peas.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03Ahh, there is nothing better than eating peas fresh from the park.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Their sons, Rolant and his elder brother, Sior,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09are following in their father's footsteps.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14Steady, steady, hey, stand! These sheep get on my nerves!
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And their daughter Mari isn't far behind.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Sit! Sit. Stay!
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Their grandparents also live on the farm -
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Gareth's mother, Eryl and his father, Roland Senior.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39We will follow Gareth and his family through the course of a year,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42as they take their animals from the mountainside
0:01:42 > 0:01:44to the market place.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46That's it. That's the end product.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50After all that hard work, this is what we sell.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53But with bad weather and rising costs,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57what does the future hold for the traditional Welsh hill farm?
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Physically, mentally, emotionally, it's tough, but truth is,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05if you are born and bred into it, you know nothing better.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10That's the way it is. That's the way the mountain is.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The warm summer sun has left the Carneddau mountains
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and made way for autumn.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38This is a crucial time for the farm,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40when they find out if all their hard work
0:02:40 > 0:02:44over the past year has been worth it.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Their sheep and lambs have grazed on the mountain pastures
0:02:47 > 0:02:49since the spring.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52WHISTLING
0:02:52 > 0:02:56And here, on the family's land on Anglesey, the ram lambs
0:02:56 > 0:02:59have been fattening up on richer grasses for a few months.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Come by, hey, hey, hey, come by.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Now they are ready to be sold.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10That's it. That's the end product.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15After all that hard work, this is what we sell - ram lambs.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Gareth has arranged to sell these lambs
0:03:17 > 0:03:20to one of the biggest processors in the country.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23They supply meat from more than 1.5 million lambs
0:03:23 > 0:03:26to markets across Europe.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31Gareth hopes all of these rams will be sold today, but at what price?
0:03:31 > 0:03:35It could be £3.80, it could be £4 a kilo.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36You're going to get a lamb
0:03:36 > 0:03:40that's going to be worth 45 or 50 quid.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44THEY SPEAK WELSH
0:03:44 > 0:03:50The buyer, Wyn Ellis, is a friend of Gareth's, but business is business.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53He goes go through the flock, looking for lambs
0:03:53 > 0:03:56that are big enough to be sold.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58I'm just handling these lambs now,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01handling the line and the tail, mostly.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07That will tell me if they are finished or not for our markets.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11That's... What would you call this, Wyn?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Yes, that's one of the most well-fleshed lambs
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I have seen today.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19If they are all like that, Gareth, we would be millionaires!
0:04:19 > 0:04:22THEY LAUGH I'm not that bloody lucky, are we?
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Sheep flocks from around the UK
0:04:25 > 0:04:29produce over quarter of a million tonnes of meat each year.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31But over a third of this is exported
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and very few of Gareth's lambs
0:04:33 > 0:04:36will make it onto supermarket shelves in Britain.
0:04:36 > 0:04:43These lambs are ideal lambs for the Portuguese and Italy.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48A small lamb, that's the type of lamb they are after.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Although British farmers produce more than enough lamb
0:04:51 > 0:04:54to meet demand, its seasonal nature
0:04:54 > 0:04:57means we still import vast quantities from abroad,
0:04:57 > 0:05:0060,000 tonnes from New Zealand alone.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04These smaller lambs will not go into the supermarket trade,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07because of their weight. There is no other reason.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11The taste and fats and quality wise is OK.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Supermarkets can choose from any amount of lambs,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and they have chosen a bigger lamb to sell for bigger cuts.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24So far, only the odd ram has failed to meet the standard
0:05:24 > 0:05:26that Wyn is looking for.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31This time last year you would be about £3.30 per kilo
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- where you're £3.55 for them this week.- Yeah.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46He has given us a little bit more than what we were expecting,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but I think he is pleased with the lambs.
0:05:49 > 0:05:56They should be doing from about £45 to £50 a head,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01so I'd be really happy if we have a £50 average on all of these.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03It's swings and roundabouts.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You know, they say it's a little bit more than last year,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09but the costs this year have been a lot more, so, you know,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11it's just one of them things.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13You've got to make the most of what we've got.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19But Gareth wishes more could be done to keep Welsh lamb in Wales.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24After this spring, you know, I just thought we need to be selling
0:06:24 > 0:06:28our produce locally and selling our produce in a better manner.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34There is no product better in the bloody world and what do we do?
0:06:34 > 0:06:36We ship it abroad.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41If they had the opportunity to taste it and buy it,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I think they would come back. Because, you know, quality sells,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46the product would sell itself,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49but for not getting the opportunity to buy it,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52not getting the opportunity to taste it, well, that's it, isn't it?
0:06:52 > 0:06:56They have to travel to Portugal and be on their holidays
0:06:56 > 0:06:59to have a piece of Welsh lamb, when they're most probably coming home
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and saying, "Do you know what, that Portuguese lamb is probably
0:07:02 > 0:07:04"the best lamb I ever tasted," and for God's sake,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06it's just come from down the road.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09WHISTLING
0:07:09 > 0:07:12This is one of many loads the farm will send for slaughter
0:07:12 > 0:07:14over the coming weeks.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And this batch of lamb is worth almost £12,000.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21But once the costs of producing them are accounted for,
0:07:21 > 0:07:26only a small fraction of this will be profit for the farm.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Within days, the lambs that began life in the Carneddau mountains,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35will be on supermarket shelves and in restaurants across Europe.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48At this time of year, though,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51the lambs aren't the only produce ready for harvest.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Back at the farm, there's a bumper crop in the family's vegetable plot.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05After months of hard work, the Joneses' larder
0:08:05 > 0:08:07will be well-stocked this year.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12We've got a hell of a crop of carrots. And potatoes.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16- Turnips over there. - Then we've got leeks, as well.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- The leeks have been fantastic, haven't they, Gareth?- Yeah.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I think autumn is a hell of an important time for farmers,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27because, you know, it's the whole year
0:08:27 > 0:08:30that you have been putting everything in.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- It's what you get back out, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38At the end of the day, you know, whatever we grow, produce,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42it is ready now, really, for us, isn't it, up here.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Because our growing season is a lot shorter than the majority of people.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- That's bloody lovely. - Roger Rabbit!
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Mmmm, that is good.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55But carrots and turnips won't be the only things
0:08:55 > 0:08:58keeping the family fed through the winter months.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Earlier in the year, Gareth and the kids each bought a piglet.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06They have been fed every day
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and now they are almost fat enough to be slaughtered.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I know exactly what have been given to these.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19Nice potatoes from our farm, a bit of pellets, some apples, cabbage.
0:09:19 > 0:09:26Everything, you know. I believe that a happy pig will have happy meat.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32These guys eat what they want, don't they? Fat arses!
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Within a few days, these pigs will be sent to the abattoir
0:09:36 > 0:09:39before returning to the farm as chops and sausages.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Everything on the farm is on the menu.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48The family eat their own beef, lamb and chicken.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Not the easiest one to pluck, I must say.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And at this time of year, the long nights are a chance
0:09:56 > 0:09:59for Gareth and the boys to go hunting.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00OK, boys.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Does that make any difference to the actual...?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I wish you told me, because I handled them afterwards.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24LAUGHTER
0:10:26 > 0:10:28No, you are lying, you're lying.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Tonight they are after rabbits.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39To them they are a pest
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and if left uncontrolled they can ruin the farm's grazing.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46But they make for good eating
0:10:46 > 0:10:50and nights out shooting are a regular pastime.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53GUNSHOTS
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Sior uses the lamp to catch the rabbit's eyes
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and then Gareth takes the shot.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04But he isn't having much luck tonight.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Eventually, though, they get one for the pot.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Does Dad shoot better than that usually?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Yeah, you do.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Yeah, quite rubbish.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24LAUGHTER
0:11:24 > 0:11:28We will take it down to the shed now and skin it.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Sior can skin it for the first time.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You've never have skinned a rabbit, have you?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Death is a part of life on the farm.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Farmers like Gareth spend their days
0:11:44 > 0:11:48caring for animals that will end up on our tables.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59But he believes that in an age of processed ready-meals
0:11:59 > 0:12:03and complex supply chains, too many of us
0:12:03 > 0:12:06have lost this understanding of where our food comes from.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11He feels it is his mission to re-educate the public.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17Well, I'm just tweeting a couple of pictures at the moment,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19what we've been doing.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I've got five minutes on the way down now.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24This is what I try and do.
0:12:24 > 0:12:31To try share a little bit of what I do every single day.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33I've been tweeting for about two years.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Yeah. And I've got over 3,000 followers.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43I've shown lambs being beheaded by a fox and tweeted that.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45There's a lot of people that don't like that.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48But this is the truth, this is what happens.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Of course, there is going to be people that look at me
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and think, "Oh, he likes to be seen or heard."
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Well, you know, that's their opinion. And maybe I do.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00The truth is that I do...
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But I don't think I'm doing a bad thing.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I'm trying to be honest, I'm trying to be straight.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I think social media is the way forward.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15You know, as farmers we are fantastic at producing something,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but we are not the best salesmen in the world.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23And we need to be sharing our produce, our lives
0:13:23 > 0:13:27and our everyday work with people.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33It isn't only potential customers that Gareth shares his life with.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Journalists, politicians and even supermarkets
0:13:37 > 0:13:39have all felt the benefit
0:13:39 > 0:13:45of his wisdom and, recently, one or two have started to take notice.
0:13:45 > 0:13:52I said, "Why not have a local aisle in every supermarket?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54"Give that consumer the chance.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57"They can walk up the aisle, pick what they want locally.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00"If they don't want it, carry on through."
0:14:00 > 0:14:04If the supermarkets find it doesn't work after six months...
0:14:04 > 0:14:08they don't need to support it, but, by God, I think it would work.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16For now, though, the year is drawing on,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and there is important work still to be done.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28At over 3,000 feet above sea level,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31winter on the Carneddau mountains can be perilous.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Strong winds whip through the valleys
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and with the temperatures dropping well below zero,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41ice and snow will soon cover the upper slopes.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47It is an inhospitable place for even the most hardy of animals.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51HE WHISTLES
0:14:51 > 0:14:54After over six months on the mountain, it is time to bring
0:14:54 > 0:14:58the last of the sheep down off the slopes for the final time.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I can't even feel my fingers.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Tess, Tess!
0:15:05 > 0:15:08These ewes are the farm's breeding stock.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12They will now be put to the ram and will spend the winter months
0:15:12 > 0:15:15grazing on lower ground before lambing in the spring.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22While the sheep were on the mountain, the farm's cattle
0:15:22 > 0:15:26have spent the summer on land in a neighbouring valley.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Now they need to be brought home for the winter
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and they will be walked back to the farm over the mountain.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36This is a proper old hike.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38There is not many who are doing this.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40They are two, three miles from home now,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43to take them back, so you've got a long walk.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45HE LAUGHS
0:15:45 > 0:15:47There are over 300 cows and calves
0:15:47 > 0:15:50that need to be driven back to the farm.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Yeah, it's a great day, this. Driving the cows home.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59You know, crossing the rivers. Just a fantastic feeling.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01But it is the beginning of the end.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03You know, we are coming to the winter,
0:16:03 > 0:16:08so it is an important time as well, so it's closing up shop.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Summer is over, winter is moving in.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21This ancient road traverses several miles of open mountainside and would
0:16:21 > 0:16:25have once been part of a route that connected Chester to Caernarfon.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28This is the old Roman road.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And the old road would go down here.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And not as it goes now through to Aber, but it would
0:16:34 > 0:16:39come down to a place called Rhiwau, which is an old farm down there.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43People would cross then, as you can see here.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46The tide is nearly right out and they would cross cattle
0:16:46 > 0:16:48on that tide.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50So this was the old trading route.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So what we are doing is something that people have done
0:16:53 > 0:16:54over thousands of years.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58HE TOOTS HORN
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Evidence of those who walked this route centuries ago has
0:17:04 > 0:17:06quite literally been carved into the landscape.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08HE LAUGHS
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Here it is. Nine Men's Morris.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15It's amazing that the Romans would play games here.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Can you see the little squares where they've dug this out?
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Here, a line. Right round.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Shows you what history there is up on these mountains.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Some people think that cattle drives only happen
0:17:32 > 0:17:36in America, Australia, Brazil and abroad,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40but two miles from Llanfairfechan and seven miles from Bangor,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43but look, there is a cattle drive and nobody knows about it.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53We are so dependent on the weather and the cycle of the year.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The colours on the mountain tells you it's changing
0:17:57 > 0:17:58and everything is closing in.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06This year it was a very late spring and it was a poor spring.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And then we've had a fantastic summer
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and a brilliant autumn and it's still growing now.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14You know, we are nearly approaching winter.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17'You can do another one here then.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19'You can have a crooked smile,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22'it doesn't matter, does it, if that all comes out?'
0:18:22 > 0:18:24OK, got it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26So you've got to do that, but don't do the whole square.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Not there! I don't like it there. It looks weird.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Oh, Mum!
0:18:32 > 0:18:34But it's supposed to look weird, look! That won't come out.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Do one there.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The meaning of Halloween in Welsh is Calan Gaeaf
0:18:40 > 0:18:45and what that means is that it's the eve before winter,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47so it's quite a symbol, I think,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51from generations in the olden days that they would celebrate
0:18:51 > 0:18:52the end of harvest,
0:18:52 > 0:18:57the end of summer and all the... All your hard work,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01bringing it in and storing it and harvesting it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03And like a celebration really.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05My mum gets a bit annoyed.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08She says it's gone too American, the Halloween.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I did a high-five to my grandma
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and she said, "Oh, Americans do that."
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Yeah, she gets annoyed sometimes.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20In a way, old traditions get lost then, don't they?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23People don't remember the old things, they remember the new.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26SHE SPEAKS WELSH
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Wow! That is amazing! Yes!
0:19:31 > 0:19:37- Ah, yes.- I told you it was good. But if you cut...
0:19:42 > 0:19:45FIREWORKS EXPLODE
0:19:47 > 0:19:49October makes way for November.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Winter has arrived.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57But there is one final job to be done on the Carneddau.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02The mountains are now clear of sheep,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05but the wild ponies still roam the slopes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10They are a rare and unique breed that have inhabited
0:20:10 > 0:20:12this range for centuries.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Earlier in the year, over 100 were lost to the snow,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20almost half of the estimated population.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Every year, the ponies are rounded up
0:20:24 > 0:20:26to check on the health of the herd.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The old and the lame will be kept off the mountain
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and, to control their numbers,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35most of the males will be sent to graze elsewhere.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The gathering brings together dozens of people from
0:20:42 > 0:20:45all parts of this mountain community,
0:20:45 > 0:20:46and for generations,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Gareth and his family have been at its heart.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51It's a big gathering.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54A lot of them are family, a lot of them are friends.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It brings the community together and that's an important part.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01You don't see this anywhere else really, in Great Britain,
0:21:01 > 0:21:07gathering wild ponies like this. It is a very exciting day.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11HE SPEAKS WELSH
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Welcome to everybody to Llanfairfechan.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15As you know, this is the annual gathering.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18This year is going to be very special because we lost
0:21:18 > 0:21:22about 100 ponies, so we want as many ponies as we can.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25You know, there is a good gang of people here today.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Always stay behind the ponies.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30It's a little bit like a big fishing net.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31We are going on the outside
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and we are bringing all the ponies into a funnel.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38OK? Bringing them in, as tight as we can,
0:21:38 > 0:21:39onto the quarry here.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Right, let's go, boys.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49There is a hell of a lot of people to organise today!
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Lucky I don't get stressed!
0:21:56 > 0:21:58The bikes will ride over five miles
0:21:58 > 0:22:01to gather any ponies from the far end of the Carneddau range.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Meanwhile, Gareth and the others
0:22:04 > 0:22:07will gather the slopes closest to the farm.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10We've got a fantastic bunch of people and they know exactly what
0:22:10 > 0:22:13they are doing, so we'd better get some rock'n'roll on.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Hey! Get out of it!
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Ha! Ha! Ha!
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Whoo!
0:22:30 > 0:22:35There is about 25-30 coming along the bottom here.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37They are looking really well.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39This is going to be the problem today.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44What's left is just the strong ones. The really, really powerful ponies.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47We might have some fun and games with these today.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50It doesn't look like they want to come home.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52With little to no human contact
0:22:52 > 0:22:56and no fences on the mountain, the ponies run wild
0:22:56 > 0:23:02over thousands of acres, roaming the slopes in small family groups.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14It's quite a big operation to be gathering such a mountain
0:23:14 > 0:23:18because they are not like sheep. They are really, really fast.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Really wild and they don't want to go the way you want to take them.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28It IS difficult to gather wild ponies, but it's good fun.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34From the plateaus to the peaks, the terrain across the Carneddau
0:23:34 > 0:23:40can be treacherous. Steep climbs, sharp rocks and sheer drops
0:23:40 > 0:23:45can prove challenging for even the most experienced gatherers.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54And this is where the net closes.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56This is where it is crucial.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57This is where we can lose them.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09After the losses we've had this year,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12it will be good to see what is left.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I can tell you something, there are some fit horses here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20I haven't seen any weak, any lame, any sick ones.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23It's maybe nature's way of culling
0:24:23 > 0:24:28and keeping these ponies up here, is, through the snow,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30a natural cull.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38It's a great view. It's a good day for everybody.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40And the ponies will come back today or tomorrow
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and we can keep an eye on them.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48We won't be coming up onto these mountains for a few months now.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54Yeah, I miss it. I miss the scenery and I miss the fresh air.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07With the all the ponies down at the farm, it is time to see
0:25:07 > 0:25:09how many have survived the spring.
0:25:09 > 0:25:1140, 50, 60, 70... 120!
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Now, that is a good number.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Beautiful. Yeah, very pleasing.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22I was expecting to see about 80 here, to be honest.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24That's a very good gathering.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So this is probably the best gathering we've had in a long time.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33These ponies are a vital part of the mountain and looking after them
0:25:33 > 0:25:35is an important tradition for this community.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Before they are returned to the mountain,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Gareth and his uncles work their way through their ponies,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47keeping check on which ones have been gathered.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51This is the old-fashioned way of knowing that they have been in,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53docking the tails.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58When you see the ponies up on the mountain with a long tail,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02we know then that they haven't been in.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07With their tails docked, the ponies will now return to
0:26:07 > 0:26:10the slopes for another year.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Their future, much like the farmers who gather them,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17is tied to the Carneddau Mountains.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Yeah, this kind of wraps up our yearly calendar.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's wind-down time now on the farm.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And everything is coming in.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And it's a lovely sight to see.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Quite a sad sight that another year has passed so quickly.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I think the older I'm getting, the faster these years are going.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Yeah, it's been a funny old year.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52It's been a roller coaster of a year, with ups and downs and everything.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And...I suppose, in the end, we've come out OK.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I'm a farmer's daughter, so I'm used to this life.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I don't know anything better really.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10But on the hill farm it is far more intense.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13The peaks and troughs are higher and deeper.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20These hills are a big part of our culture
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and the farmers depend a lot on these mountains.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I was fortunate to have the opportunity to stay home
0:27:27 > 0:27:31and to raise a family and live on this land.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37What you have seen is this year, but this year is every year for us.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Next year they'll just trickle on.
0:27:39 > 0:27:46So we can only prepare, we can only deal with it as it comes.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51The future? I hope I am here in the years to come,
0:27:51 > 0:27:52doing the same job.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56And maybe seeing my grandchildren,
0:27:56 > 0:28:01like my father seeing Sior, Rolant and Mary, doing exactly the same.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04That would be perfect for me.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12We must be doing something right if we have lasted 350 years here.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I just hope we can last another 350.