0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Summer in Wales is a time of celebration...- ALL: Cheese!
0:00:04 > 0:00:05..holidays...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07I want to see a castle, pubs...
0:00:07 > 0:00:08Keep rowing!
0:00:08 > 0:00:11..and the great outdoors...
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- Whoo!- ..a time when many businesses must turn a profit...
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We have put everything we've got into this.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20..or face a struggle to survive the rest of the year...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Got to keep your head above water.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26..a time when good weather can make all things possible...
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and bad can leave dreams in tatters.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The weather could be nicer, but that's nobody's fault.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34This summer was truly extraordinary.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Was that the cleverest idea, to try and take it down?
0:00:37 > 0:00:38It saw laughter...
0:00:40 > 0:00:41..heartache...
0:00:41 > 0:00:42This can be a cruel game.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43..triumph...
0:00:43 > 0:00:44I came second.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..and despair.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- The weather's beaten us once again. - These are our stories...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Nice bit of pavement pizza in this corner here...
0:00:52 > 0:00:56..filmed in every corner of the nation across the summer of 2012.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57You can't beat it, can you?
0:00:57 > 0:01:00This a story of A Summer In Wales.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Let's get the show on the road!
0:01:12 > 0:01:15No-one comes to Wales looking for a tan,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and this summer certainly didn't disappoint.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But despite the grey skies, black clouds and heavy rain,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24our overseas visitors kept on coming.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29The American cruise liner Caribbean Princess, the largest ship
0:01:29 > 0:01:34ever to visit our shores, came steaming into Holyhead harbour...
0:01:36 > 0:01:41..on board 3,500 passengers planning to "do" North Wales in a day.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44A long time ago, I knew someone from Wales,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and she said it was beautiful, that I had to see it.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49So I'm here!
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I want to see a castle, some pubs...
0:01:52 > 0:01:56This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57My mother was an Owen.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Wasn't Tom Jones from Wales?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Yeah, we were Tom Jones fans a long time ago.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08On the dockside, 45 coaches stand ready to whisk the passengers
0:02:08 > 0:02:10to tourist locations all over north Wales.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And back again.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15In the space of just 12 hours.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26One of the top attractions on the list is Caernarfon Castle.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31A tour of Welsh castles is the must-do activity
0:02:31 > 0:02:35of your average overseas holidaymaker's trip to the UK,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37ahead of Buckingham Palace, Harrods shopping,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40a Premier League football match or a whisky tour.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45The weather could be nicer, but that's nobody's fault,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48so...I won't hold that against you! HE LAUGHS
0:02:48 > 0:02:51In America, we do not have anything like this,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53so to us it is amazing.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58My wife was expecting more grand rooms,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01like she's seen in the movies, but so far we haven't found those.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Unless you happen to know where they are...!
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The castle seems to hold up better under the weather
0:03:08 > 0:03:11than modern dwellings do.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I'd like to know where they got all the rock.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18My name is Tyrone Powers, and I came all the way from Texas
0:03:18 > 0:03:20just to see the beautiful castles in Wales.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23This is a nice one. A very nice castle.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I came to Wales 15 years ago,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28thought it was one of the most beautiful places in England.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31What we love is the friendliness of the people.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33We appreciate that very much.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37We'll see what we can see and meet who we can meet
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and enjoy every minute of it.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Just 30 miles along the coast from Caernarfon
0:03:45 > 0:03:49is a much-loved destination for many British tourists,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50Llandudno.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Wales's largest seaside resort has been offering holidaymakers
0:03:53 > 0:03:56an old-fashioned beach experience
0:03:56 > 0:03:58for over a century and a quarter.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Hello, everybody!
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Here you can still find the delights of Punch and Judy and donkey rides.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08In fact, of the eight donkey operators
0:04:08 > 0:04:12that still survive in Wales, two can be found right here.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Come on, girls.- John Jones is a third-generation donkey man.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Donkeys are in his blood.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You fall in love with them. Each one's got little quirks
0:04:21 > 0:04:24to them, and mannerisms.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26They're great!
0:04:26 > 0:04:29That one, she's actually a Romanian donkey.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31She's very good, but there's something about her,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33she's not like a British donkey.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And there IS a British donkey, no doubt about it. There is, definitely.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39It's the summer half-term holidays,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the beginning of donkey season.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44For the first time this year,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46John is leading his animals down to the town's North Shore,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50where his grandfather started the business.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52We've worked this same section for at least the last 65 years.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56It's what we call the Jettyside. It's got more sound on this one.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59John only operates his donkeys in the summer months,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01when there's a demand for rides,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03but the rest of the year,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06he relies on his plumbing and heating business to make a living.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Come on, girl. Hup, hup!
0:05:10 > 0:05:12It's a glorious day, and the beach is busy.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The tide is on its way out,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and John should have plenty of sand on which to work.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20But he's faced with a problem.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Had an awful lot of...
0:05:22 > 0:05:23sea-defence work done,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and in the storms in winter it's brought stones down,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and we're losing our beach.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31And I was hoping it would have been cleared, but, oh, look at it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33There's hardly anywhere to work now. Hardly anywhere at all.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35We'll have to wait now at least another hour
0:05:35 > 0:05:38before we can work down on the bottom end of the slipway.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It's not a good start to the season.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44So we're here, but at the moment I just can't trade.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47It's terrible.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Summer is festival season in Wales, with hundreds of events,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58from local to international, taking place across the country.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03For Wales's event caterers, it's their busiest season.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:06:06 > 0:06:07OK, that one's ready.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Jonathan Williams is the founder and owner of Cafe Mor...
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Crab sandwich.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17..a mobile catering business specialising in fresh Welsh seafood.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The company is only a year old, but this summer,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Jonathan plans to launch himself into festival season in a big way...
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- How's it all going?- Getting there.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29..with the help of his supportive mum, Tina.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I retired last year, y'know!
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- Done more work in the last year than in the last 20, I think!- Excuse me!
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Next week's the first big one. That's Hay-on-Wye book festival.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44250,000 people go to Hay. Obviously, it's international these days.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Y'know, you're keen to get everything spot-on and right.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52And the next big one after that, then, we're doing Wakestock
0:06:52 > 0:06:55up in north Wales, and it's definitely a younger market there.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- And then after that we've got the Eisteddfod.- Yeah.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00No, you grease the...
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- I know what I'm doing! - You grease the greaseproof paper.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- I know!- Then what are you doing that for? I never do it like that!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Yeah, cos the greaseproof.. Just shush!
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Last year, Cafe Mor was judged overall winner
0:07:14 > 0:07:17of the British Street Food Festival.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Mix these brownies in there.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Jonathan's prize - a pitch in the athletes' village
0:07:22 > 0:07:24of the London 2012 Olympics,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28smack bang in the middle of Welsh festival season.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36We're getting these beach shacks ready. It's going to be really busy.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I don't think about it all. I wouldn't be able to cope.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So I just think about the next week, really.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44And if that weren't pressure enough,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Jonathan and his partner Hannah
0:07:46 > 0:07:48are just weeks away from the birth of their first child.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52If it comes on the 13th, 14th June, that'd be ideal. THEY LAUGH
0:07:52 > 0:07:54There's no way I'm missing the birth of a child.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58It could potentially come at any time,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01but when it does, that's it, he's coming back to be with me.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04There's no question about that. I don't care what he's doing!
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Yeah, definitely, it's going to be a manic, manic summer.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Jonathan's first event of the season
0:08:14 > 0:08:17is the ten-day Hay international book festival,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20which this year is celebrating its 25th birthday.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Right, can I help anyone?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Big crowds are expected, and Jonathan's hoping to do well.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Are you taking the names on everyone's orders?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- They're all standing in front of us. - Are they? Oh, hi.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Won't be long. Five minutes.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It's like a wave! Everyone's starving.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Cafe Mor catered the festival last year,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42and Jonathan has a good grasp of what his well-read customers expect.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46We don't have fresh crab in Oklahoma. That's a landlocked state.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48She's my number one customer in Hay!
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Business is good, but it's still early days.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54With festival pitches costing thousands,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Jonathan needs to do well at each and every event this summer.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It's a great way to start the season,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03and see how it goes
0:09:03 > 0:09:06in the next couple of events, really.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It looks great, don't you think?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10I think it's the best one here!
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Summer is a busy time for many of Wales's private country houses.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Some 60 miles to the north of Hay stands Bryngwyn Hall,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27ancestral seat of the Sandbach family
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and home of Auriol, Marchioness of Linlithgow.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32'I've known this house
0:09:32 > 0:09:35'since I was five, and I completely fell in love with it.'
0:09:36 > 0:09:38That's my grandfather.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43He was Curzon's military secretary when Curzon was Viceroy of India.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47And everything in here he brought back, which is extraordinary.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49This is Gary,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51an Indian gharial, which is an Indian alligator,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54which was shot in Jogiwala
0:09:54 > 0:09:55- wonderful name, Jogiwala, isn't it? -
0:09:55 > 0:09:58in 1907.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And then we have Monty Python up there,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04who was shot in Bhutan.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08He might need a bit of restoration one day, but he's OK for the moment.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13This is a portrait painted of me when I was married to John Ropner.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Anyway, I couldn't think why I had to be painted a specific size,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20only to find I was put into the frame of John's first wife,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23where he'd give her a portrait.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27And when we, sadly, parted, he gave me the portrait but not the frame,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and history doesn't relate if the third wife
0:10:29 > 0:10:31is in the same frame.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I used to, once upon a time in the dim and distant past, be a model,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37which really annoyed my father intensely.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43What might you be wanting up here, madam?
0:10:43 > 0:10:47When Lady Linlithgow inherited Bryngwyn in 1987,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51the Grade II listed house had been mothballed for over 50 years
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and was practically derelict.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55You know you're not really meant to come up here
0:10:55 > 0:10:57unless specifically invited, don't you?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It was in the most appalling state.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05There was dry rot everywhere, bats, mice, rats,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09you name it. It was a complete haven for wildlife.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13And the garden was in the most ghastly state.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16But I had this great passion to want to restore this house.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19It was very exciting, actually,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22but financially it was extremely difficult!
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Right...
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Maintaining, let alone restoring,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32this substantial Georgian house and its 60 acres of parkland
0:11:32 > 0:11:34is costly.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37I did this last night.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39One's very, very lucky to have an estate,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42but unless you're very, very, very rich, which I'm not,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45you have to be prepared to get your feet dirty, like this.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I'm not doing very well here, am I? Have we got a stick anywhere?
0:11:48 > 0:11:50No, I haven't!
0:11:50 > 0:11:53There might be one behind that bush.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54I like being hands-on.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55I would be very bored
0:11:55 > 0:11:58if I didn't have something to do like this.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01The ducks usually kill those off.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I've got 150 coming.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08HEY! Come here! Come here, you bloody dog!
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Faith! Faith!
0:12:09 > 0:12:14She just found a baby pheasant. Faith! Leave it!
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Bad dog!
0:12:17 > 0:12:20To fund the restoration and running of Bryngwyn,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Lady Linlithgow has turned it into a money-making enterprise.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Cook Christine Jones is one of five full-time staff
0:12:27 > 0:12:29who have helped with the process.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33We started doing tours of the house,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38perhaps tea or lunch or whatever, and it's just gone on from there.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Then we decided to do shooting and...weddings!
0:12:41 > 0:12:44What's the next?
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Paranormal, I hear! Oh, my!
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I was approached some years ago
0:12:51 > 0:12:55as to whether I would let the house be used as a porn-movie location.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And that is a no-no, absolute no-no.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01SHE LAUGHS
0:13:04 > 0:13:07For international visitors to the UK,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Cardiff is one of their ten most popular cities.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This summer, with many of the 2012 Olympic football matches
0:13:14 > 0:13:15being held in the capital,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18its profile will be higher than ever.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25So the city's crack cleansing team have gone into deep-clean mode.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Rose! Missed a bottle AND a can!
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Team-mates Russell Davies and Rose Joseph
0:13:30 > 0:13:32are working hard to ensure
0:13:32 > 0:13:35that each and every part of the city centre looks its very best.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Got to have eyes everywhere.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39You've got to watch the brushes, make sure there's no obstacles
0:13:39 > 0:13:42in your way, lampposts, bins,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45people who just step out from cars...
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Even though the work can be tough,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49the cleansing squad have a real team spirit.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52She's in the way. She won't go up the tube - her bum's too big.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I think he's a bit scared of me.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58He's my fourth driver.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01No, I'm not a bully! I just wear them out.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08For one team-mate, this is very much a family affair.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Working alongside her dad
0:14:10 > 0:14:14as litter picker is Russell's 19-year-old daughter Sophie.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Well, I left school and my dad said there was jobs going,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21so I just signed up to the agency, and that's how I got the job.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25She's never been late, thank God, otherwise I'd get the blame for it,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27for asking her to do the work.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30If I do something wrong, then he's the first to tell me.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I want to do right by him, kind of thing.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36And for a girl - she's only 19 - to do it, it's unusual.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I think there's only about three or four women
0:14:38 > 0:14:41out litter picking or cleaning the streets.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47People do tend to, like, assume you're a bloke,
0:14:47 > 0:14:48just because of the job you're doing.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51But I think that's just normal.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55They don't expect to see girls doing a man's job, really, do they?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I like to think that he's proud, because I've stuck it out.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02And I've got to enjoy it and I wouldn't give it up now.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05I'd rather do this job than be stuck in an office or in a shop
0:15:05 > 0:15:07doing something that I hate.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It's not a glamorous job, though!
0:15:09 > 0:15:13But at the end of the day, if people didn't drop rubbish,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15people like me wouldn't have a job.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Every public area is given a thorough clean,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26from streets to parks and gardens.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Got to wear the leggings. Never know what you'll find.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It's a detergent-free liquid, it's pretty safe.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36This lifts the grease, the spillages.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38So when we jet it, the slabs come up as new.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42As you can see and smell...lovely.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Glad to see we haven't seen rats this morning.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Used to be hundreds of them at one time, especially in the dark.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54You'd see little eyes in the dark.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Even Cardiff's public art is being given a thorough scrub,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03under the watchful eye of team manager Juliet Gamlin.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05We've got some beautiful monuments in the city centre,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08but unfortunately the seagulls like to rest on top of them.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10They all go up, do their business and fly off,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12so it's proper crusty now.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15There's the culprit, guilty as charged.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Cardiff has one of the largest colonies of urban nesting gulls
0:16:18 > 0:16:21in Britain, and it certainly shows.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27People tend to feed the birds, so that actually encourages them
0:16:27 > 0:16:29to come to this particular location.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Unfortunately, poor Mr Bevan suffers as a result.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Obviously because it's a bronze statue, it takes a little TLC,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38so it has to be cleaned by hand.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Only trouble is, the suit says "dry clean only".
0:16:43 > 0:16:44That's not so good, it might shrink.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Hopefully by the time they've finished,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52it'll be back to his wonderful gleaming glory again.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55That's looking lovely.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Much better. Huge improvement.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It just needs somebody to stand here now like a scarecrow,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06keeping the birds away.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15On their whistle-stop tour of north Wales, the cruise ship passengers
0:17:15 > 0:17:20have taken to the railways, with the world's oldest independent company.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23And there have been a few surprises.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29I thought it would be flat! Wrong!
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Beautiful scenery, beautiful.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37A lot like some of the United States but a lot better.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Breathtaking views. Photographs, can't wait to get them out.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43- It's really nice.- Nice people.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Wales has 14 steam railways,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and they're one of our biggest tourist attractions.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Being this wide, on gauge, and looking down these cliffs,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59it's more exciting than I thought it would be!
0:18:01 > 0:18:05We'll be in Wales for about one day and it probably isn't enough,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08so we'll have to plan to come back and visit this lovely country.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12All aboard!
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Even the wet Welsh weather isn't bothering them.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20We get seven inches of rain a year in Arizona.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22We're getting seven inches in probably a week here.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28When you're from Magnolia, Texas, where it's 105 degrees right now...
0:18:30 > 0:18:35When there's no rain and the trees are brown and dead!
0:18:35 > 0:18:38The only thing we knew about Wales was it was somewhere
0:18:38 > 0:18:40over here in this area.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43We knew absolutely nothing about it
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and we just wanted to investigate it.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51And to see what it was. And it is beyond our expectations.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55I'm only in Wales for one day then I have to leave.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58That doesn't mean I can't come back.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Tourism is big business in Wales.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05But for many of the country's small attractions,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07a bad summer season can be make or break.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Phil Talbot is a donkey man working Llandudno's West Shore.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Hold tight, kids.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Like his competitor, John Jones,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20he too has to contend with rocks on the beach.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21But he's come up with a solution.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Rather than lose valuable ride time, he's abandoned the beach
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and instead takes his donkeys to meet the land train which is
0:19:28 > 0:19:31packed full of families with young children.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- Business is brisk. - Who's going on now then?
0:19:35 > 0:19:39I'm 73, I started off when I was about nine or ten, with my uncle.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Tanner a ride when I first started, sixpence in the old money.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47My uncle used to say, if they haven't got a sixpence,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51take thruppence, but don't go so far with them.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52But we always did.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Where are we going?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Phil has seen big changes with some of his customers
0:19:58 > 0:19:59since he first started.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02They weren't as heavy as they are nowadays.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I call them McDonalds kids cos they're a bit heavy
0:20:04 > 0:20:06to put on the donkeys!
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Sometimes they kick when you're still on them!
0:20:12 > 0:20:17They have such a long lifespan. They live for donkey's years!
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Back on the North Shore, it's low tide.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24And with clear sand to play with,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26John can finally get down to business.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32There are plenty of customers, but Snowy the new donkey is playing up.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34She won't go...
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- How do you ride a donkey? - This is how you ride a donkey!
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Get into first gear, there we go.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44John's mum helps out with the business, and she's concerned.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45It's bad for everybody.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48The way things are going now, the cost of keeping them
0:20:48 > 0:20:51all winter, it's a big outlay.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Even the little ones we used to get years ago,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58they're all in nursery schools now so you don't get them.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Plus we used to get a lot of school parties
0:21:01 > 0:21:03but they won't go on now, for health and safety.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Despite the many problems, John is determined to battle on.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10It gets into your blood.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13You couldn't do anything better, could you really? Part of summer.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Part of British culture, it is, and we need to keep it going.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21That's the way to do it, good girls. There you are.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26The summer months at Bryngwyn Hall are a hectic
0:21:26 > 0:21:28time for Lady Linlithgow.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32But daily Pilates lessons help her deal with the strain.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33Do you want to get the heart rate up,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35do a bit of bouncing on the ball?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Not really. Are you doing it too? - Come on, darling.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- Go away!- Come on, darling.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42It certainly helps the stress.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45There's a massive amount to do, the garden, the house.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48The buck stops here, with me.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Today, the household is preparing for a dinner event.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55A duster, OK.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Ben, could you be kind a give the table a bit of a rub up?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02This table shows every mark.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08I really enjoy this, I enjoy having people here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I think, above everything, I really enjoy sharing Bryngwyn with people.
0:22:13 > 0:22:19This is family silver which only comes out on high days and holidays.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22So what have we got to eat? I think we'll be about eight.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- I haven't got a salmon in. - What are salmon like at the moment?
0:22:26 > 0:22:33- Expensive.- Are they? Well, sensible without being stingy, aren't we?
0:22:33 > 0:22:34We are.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38And what we spend the most money on is meat,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41on really good-quality meat and really good-quality fish.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And a huge sirloin with fillet in is expensive,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46but some of our shooting guests love it
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and they're regular customers and, of course, one gives them the best.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And then we pray they choose something cheap on the menu instead!
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Courgettes or something!
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It may be a constant battle, but for Lady Linlithgow,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09securing Bryngwyn Hall's financial future is a labour of love.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Good girl. Is it your dinner time?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It's a costly operation keeping this house going.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18There's always things that need attending to.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19I feel a great responsibility,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I very much view myself that I don't own this place,
0:23:22 > 0:23:23that I'm a custodian.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25It's mine for my lifetime
0:23:25 > 0:23:30and will be handed on to the next generation for their tenure.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34And hopefully on again, we hope, depending on the taxman.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35SHE LAUGHS
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Welsh festival season may be under way,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42but the weather isn't playing ball.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46The heaviest rain is likely across north, mid and west Wales.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51On north Wales' Llyn peninsula, Wakestock, Europe's largest
0:23:51 > 0:23:54wakeboard and music festival, is off to a muddy start.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58We could see two inches of rain.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01The Met Office has an amber warning in place.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06This will be Cafe Mor's second big Welsh festival of the summer.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09They've never catered it before.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11And Jonathan was worried how his food
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and prices would go down with the young audience.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Quiet, we didn't take much. We take more at St David's Day market.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Seriously. Apparently all the stallholders are the same.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25People have been coming to the stall saying, "Oh, this looks different.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26"We'll come back tomorrow."
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Or they've flung 12p on the counter and said,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30"Can you do us anything for 12p?"
0:24:30 > 0:24:32No, we can't.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Here comes Katie! Yes!
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It looks like Jonathan's fears were well founded.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Worse, he's been unexpectedly delayed.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46So for the last 24 hours, his mum's had to hold the fort.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49He won the British Street Food Awards last year.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52One of the prizes was a pitch at the Olympic Village,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56the athletes' Olympic Village, which was absolutely fantastic
0:24:56 > 0:24:58but it's like a double-edged sword. So much work.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03And they've just finished making about 17,500 wraps in three weeks,
0:25:03 > 0:25:04ready for the Olympics.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08So at least he's got that done and he's really happy.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So that's added to the pressure this summer.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16And also, him and his partner had a baby.
0:25:16 > 0:25:1717th June.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22- Meet Josie.- Oh, she's gorgeous! Isn't she lovely?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26She looks the spitting image of our Jonathan when he was born.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29I'm "Yia-yia", Greek for granny. I'm called Yia-yia!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- Hi, guys.- Hello!- All right?
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- Are you all right?- Yeah. How's it been going?- Slow.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40We sold a few cakes, that's why they're out.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- What's that place called? Pwllheli.- Yeah.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47It's packed. They're all in ASDA, loading up.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I don't think it's going to be... It's going to be slow.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54You ought to try and do a meal deal. A mini-wrap and a cake for £4.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Yeah.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Yeah, Wakestock!
0:25:59 > 0:26:01In a last-ditch attempt to attract more customers,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Jonathan takes his mum's advice
0:26:03 > 0:26:08and tweaks his menu to appeal to the teenagers' tight budget.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13But there's still no takers.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15This is the worst I've ever seen it at a festival.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19It is the worst I've ever seen.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22It's cos it's a completely different demographic.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23They're all kids and when I was a kid,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I was quite happy drinking all day and dancing.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30The majority of people here, that's what they want to do.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36As night falls, Jonathan decides enough is enough.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Put it this way, I'd do better at a local market
0:26:38 > 0:26:41for £15 a pitch than what I paid for here.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44So we've decided to cut our losses really.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48There's a big festival down in Aberaeron tomorrow.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51We've got to be down in Aberaeron for 8am. It's not ideal.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52I'm knackered, I want to go to bed
0:26:52 > 0:26:56but I think we decided we'll just break out while we can.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Lesson learnt, Wakestock.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06SHE SINGS
0:27:08 > 0:27:11In Holyhead, the American cruise ship passengers have
0:27:11 > 0:27:14finished their whirlwind tour of north Wales.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23We loved every minute of it.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27The castles, awesome, absolutely awesome.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- We saw the... - SPEAKS GIBBERISH
0:27:30 > 0:27:32..town!
0:27:32 > 0:27:34And some lovely people.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38The old-world flavour, the quaintness of the villages.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43It's extremely green. It was just very enjoyable.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51Everybody was so friendly, so nice. Just really a nice place to visit.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I could live in Wales.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56That would be what I would plan to do.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Now they're off to "do" Ireland.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06- Next time...- Not the cleverest idea to try and take it down.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08- Torrential rain hits Wales. - It's fantastic.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- You can't beat it, can you? - Couple of people chickened out.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- We're going to find a B&B. - The WI descend on Bryngwyn Hall.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21- Christine gets nervous when they're coming to tea. - I'm making scones, which I hate!
0:28:21 > 0:28:23And the writing's on the wall in Barry.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26The park will close in 15 minutes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- Times change and we've got to change with them.- Very, very big shame.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32We're not going to finish with the business, that doesn't happen.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd