Episode 1 A Summer in Wales

-Summer in Wales is a time of celebration...

-Cheese!

-..holidays...

-I want to see a castle, pubs.

-Keep rowing!

-..and the great outdoors.

A time when many businesses must turn a profit...

We have put everything we have got into this.

..or face a struggle to survive the rest of the year.

You've got to keep your head above water at the moment.

A time when good weather can make all things possible

and bad can leave dreams in tatters.

The weather could be a little nicer, but that's not anybody's fault.

The summer was truly extraordinary.

Was that the cleverest idea at the time?

It saw laughter...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..heartache...

It's going to be a cruel game.

-..triumph...

-I came second.

-..and despair.

-The weather's beaten us once again.

These are our stories.

Nice bit of pavement pizza going on here.

Filmed in every corner of the nation across the summer of 2012...

You can't beat it, can you?

..this is the story of A Summer In Wales.

Let's get the show on the road!

It's early summer in Wales.

From the cities of the south, to the high peaks of the north,

the nation is stirring.

On the tiny tidal island of Cribinau, off the south west coast

of Anglesey, stands St Cwyfan's Church, in the sea.

Closed all winter, each year, when summer begins,

this medieval church is opened up for business.

Today, at low tide, Canon Madalaine Brady

is making her way across the causeway, to prepare the church

for the wedding of local couple, Gareth and Amy.

I don't know if this church is unique,

but I can't imagine there's very many

where you have to walk across sand at low tide to get to a wedding.

But that's all part of the charm.

So long as we've got the tides right,

and we don't mess about, it will be kind to us.

But, you know, in the end, the tide has the last say.

Whatever we do, it's in charge.

On Anglesey, husband-to-be Gareth and his groomsmen are getting ready.

'Amy, originally,'

when she was little, always said she'd like to get married there.

Sort of, fairytale, princess dream, as you're a kid.

We're really happy that we can do it.

Basically, we had two days in the year that were compatible

with the tide and the vicar being free and the hotel being free,

so we, yeah, the day was pretty much chosen for us

by the situation of the church.

The tide will be out, though. We have sorted that one.

So we're not going to have to swim there.

This is the one drawback, as far as I'm concerned!

And stones have a horrible habit of moving, the minute you trust them.

I always ask couples, do tell your guests to wear wellies,

or sensible shoes, because if anybody arrives on the beach,

looks at this, and is wearing stilettos, they're in trouble.

Fortunately, Gareth and Amy's guests arrive wearing suitable footwear.

Some need a little more help than others.

Make sure we have a pen.

Oh, wedding candle. Thank you, Betty.

I think that's about everything.

Oh, don't pull it too hard. Dennis, don't.

-SHE LAUGHS

-It won't come off. Dennis!

The other little thing I usually say to the best man is,

if anything at all goes wrong, it's your fault.

If it all goes beautifully, it's all down to me.

Right. OK.

For my next trick!

The guests have arrived, the church is ready,

all they need now is the bride.

Fingers crossed she turns up now.

It has once happened that a bride was three quarters of an hour late,

and the tide was rushing in.

Some 200 miles to the south, another island is opening up for the summer.

On a little knuckle of rock in the chilly Bristol Channel,

lies the Kiss Me Quick beach resort of Barry Island.

The resort's iconic fairground first arrived in 1910

and since then, has entertained generations

from South Wales and far beyond.

These days, it's run by manager Vernon Studt.

Vernon is a fourth generation showman,

part of the Studt family funfair dynasty.

'The family has been in the fairground business

'since the early 1800s.

'When you're born as a showman, it's a way of life.'

I couldn't sit in an office, and sit behind a desk, that's not for me.

All right. Malcolm, OK?

The little one will be in charge, won't he?

Barry's fairground community is close knit.

All right! How's the goldfish looking?

Vernon's relationship with the team

is much more than a business arrangement.

We all know each other, we all get on well.

The fella with the Waltzers is a good colleague of mine

from Stoke on Trent.

The guy with the Jumping Frogs is another colleague -

showman - we all know each other.

Hello, Tommy!

Vernon believes the funfair still has a strong appeal today,

given the right weather.

It's a typical seaside place with a funfair and candy floss,

and rock and ice-cream.

When the sun shines, Barry shines.

When the rides are full up with people, there's an atmosphere,

laughter, and screaming from the kids.

It gives you a bit of a buzz then.

It makes you think, well what you're doing is right. And it's worthwhile.

It's the first bank holiday weekend of the summer season

and Vernon's hoping to attract bumper crowds through the gates.

It's looking OK today. Looking spick and span here ready.

-Only thing we need is customers.

-A few of.

-That's what we need.

In its glory days, the fairground could attract

nearly half a million visitors in one August Bank Holiday week.

But the wash-out summers of recent years have put paid to all that.

If the weather isn't good, we don't get no people.

We need good weather to get people out.

The fella that owns the Waltzer, is ringing me now to see how it is.

How are you, Henry?

I'm turning them away from the gate!

Yeah, I wish I had that problem. Is it...?

Well, diabolical, you know, there's just nobody here.

The only thing today that's not doing here is raining.

The fairground's fallen on hard times.

There's not even enough cash

to maintain what were once its most popular rides.

I remember coming here 25 year ago, and that log flume

was very, very popular. In its day, it was one of the best.

It was talked about all over the country, that log flume,

when it originally went in.

Looking a bit sad now, but there we are.

Things are so bad that the park's owner, Ian Rogers,

plans to demolish the fairground

to make way for an under-cover leisure complex.

Everybody realises that something's got to happen down here.

So September/October time, we'll be starting to move.

We can't compete with the likes of Oakwood and Alton Towers.

No, it's the end of an era,

but it's the start of a new one, which is very exciting

for everybody that's going to be involved.

Well, I've just lost, lost again.

No goldfish for me today, I'm afraid, no.

Vernon's not clear what will be happening to the fairground.

Oh! Second time.

It possibly could be the last summer,

but I'm optimistic that, hopefully, I'll still be here next year.

A slow start to the summer season is the last thing Vernon needs.

I can't see us being much later than about six o'clock, you know,

if we reach six o'clock.

It's now half past four, just gone half past four, nobody here.

Keep it going for nothing. It's costing money, you know,

just to keep it all running out there.

Vernon decides to cut his losses and close the fairground early.

Barry Island Pleasure Park will close at 6:30pm tonight.

Thank you, all, thank you.

Everybody's done bad.

It's no good worrying because that's not going to help you, at all.

You've just got to take it day by day,

and, like I said, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

We're here until the end of September,

so we've got plenty of time for that, you know.

Let's just hope that my bank manager understands

and is as kind about this as I am.

A good summer will see over a million people

cross the Severn Bridge, to spend time and money in Wales.

Many of them will visit Cardiff.

So, it's important that the city looks its best...no matter what.

-Good morning, everybody.

-Good morning, David.

It's been a very pleasant evening in the city centre,

so I would imagine there's quite a bit of litter out there.

So, let's go, as soon as you're ready.

5am, Sunday morning.

The Cleaner Cardiff specialist cleansing team

head off to clear the streets of litter

left by Saturday night revellers.

They've a tight five-hour window

to get the city centre ready for business.

Street wash operator Rose Joseph knows just what to expect.

It's not just the litter, you know, you've got the grease,

the blood, the urine, the vomit.

This little cubby hole's amazing.

It seems like most of the clubs come out, straight in the corner,

up the walls.

And when it's wet with heat off the land, you'll smell it.

All jokes aside, you can tell the difference between human poop

and animal poop, really. Mostly in the phone boxes you'll find that.

Years of street cleaning hasn't dulled

Russell Davies' sensitivity to the pong.

When you get the old water on it. Ooh! There we come!

But people don't realise that until they walk past it

and then they have the smell.

But we've got to put up with it every day - part of the job.

Paul Johnson, team co-ordinator, takes a real pride in his work.

We call ourselves the 4th emergency service.

We get a lot of drunks and that.

But they're pretty good to the street cleaners.

We don't get no problems with them.

We sort them out if we can, give them a hand.

As you can see, a nice bit of pavement pizza

in this corner here. Lovely jubbly.

This summer, the team will be tested

to their limits as their manager, Juliet Gamlin, knows all too well.

We've got the torch relay, we've got the Diamond Jubilee celebrations

with the Big Lunch, and we've actually got

the very first event of the Olympics,

so it's going to be all eyes are on Cardiff.

You know, there's an awful lot going on.

I've got a fantastic team out there, really dedicated,

and sometimes, you know, it's quite the unnoticed role.

People seem to always sort of take it for granted

that the city looks great.

A lot of people say, how can you enjoy, you know,

cleaning up other people's mess?

I just love it.

I couldn't sit in an office 9-5, I couldn't do that.

I'd go absolutely demented. I'd be climbing the wall.

I love being outdoors, love it.

As you can see, there is perks to the job. 50p!

HE LAUGHS

In this male dominated industry, a female boss is a rarity.

She's not bad for a 50-year-old.

I know she's not 50.

You're unemployed as of Monday.

I would say that she's 48.

The joke is, oh, better not let Jules out there,

she might snap a nail or something drastic.

There are obviously more men than there are women.

So, having a female boss does, maybe belittle a lot of the boys

doesn't it, because they don't like women in command.

You just play along with it, don't you, that's what happens.

I give as good as I get, mind.

If we think she's in the wrong, we'll tell her.

And she will listen, but it's always done her way. Sometimes.

By 10am, Cardiff city centre streets are as clean as a whistle.

It's stinking when we start, and it's immaculate when we finish.

You could eat your dinner off it but it's not advisable.

Absolutely!

No summer would be complete without a Royal visit.

And this summer was no different.

In North Wales' Conwy Valley stands the Bodnant Estate.

The estate's gardens are world famous but, today,

family member Michael McLaren is launching

a new multi-million-pound venture - the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre.

Hi! Hello. How very nice to see you.

What a pity I've got to have this umbrella up.

So, we're on the restaurant terrace at the moment

and all sorts of things are not quite finished yet.

Some last minute tarmacking, promised for 8 o'clock in the morning,

it's now 10:30am.

The centre, which celebrates the best of the nation's produce,

is due to be opened by a senior member of the Royal Family.

It's a very big day.

We've got the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall,

who will be here for an hour and a half.

And, as you can see, there's an awful lot of last minute preparations.

There's a huge amount of water pouring down that bank there.

If it rains like it did Friday,

I think we'll be needing a Royal canoe.

It's also a bit down to the wire in the WCs there.

But, fortunately, all this bit is fine. Sorry, sorry!

This is exciting. It's the first time I've seen the ice cream

in the ice cream counter.

Hello. I love your Welsh chillies.

Tarmac's all down. When I came here half an hour ago,

it had just been laid. At least now we can walk down this.

It's the first time I've walked on the Tarmac. Ooh, it's hot!

He's not going to walk around with large amounts of Tarmac on his feet.

I'll be somewhere else after 12, so I won't be meeting him.

As long as he doesn't look too closely, it's ready.

And all in the nick of time, as the Prince and Duchess

are just minutes away.

We got there. The rain stopped.

It's a good start, Tarmac's down.

We've had the fire alarm go off, we cured that.

The plumber, who was soldering, caused the fire alarm to go off.

He's been told not to do any more soldering

till after the Royal party's been and gone.

As the Royal party pulls up, host Michael springs into action.

The Prince and the Duchess are on a four-day whistle-stop tour

of the principality.

They've taken time out of a packed schedule to launch the new venue.

The Food Centre has been seven years in the planning

and has already cost £6.5 million.

It's important the visit goes without a hitch.

The Royal seal of approval is essential.

Tour complete, the Royal couple have one last duty to perform.

Despite all the last minute hitches,

the visit has gone smoothly, much to Michael's relief.

It was wonderful. Just wonderful.

He was so interesting and interested - both of them were.

And, um, I think they really enjoyed it.

I'm sure if they hadn't enjoyed it, they would have given the impression

they did, but I got the genuine feeling they loved it.

For Wales' 7,000 odd hotel and guest houses,

summer is their busiest season.

And, this year, a new establishment has joined their ranks.

On the border between Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion

stands Hammet House.

Until recently, it was a failing country hotel.

But then Philippa and Owen Gale bought it,

and set about transforming it into a luxury retreat.

It's an ambitious project.

We have got plans to redevelop this into a hot spa pool,

a second pool with a swim jet,

and then some spa treatment rooms on the inside here.

As you can see, we've got a lot of work to do to get to that stage.

When you stepped through the door before, it was kind of like

an old people's home sort of feel.

There was swirly carpets, just lots of stuff everywhere,

ornaments, lots of old furniture.

We've completely changed it,

and now we've got a really funky, contemporary vibe

going on in the bar here, and throughout lots of the house.

Things like these ghost chairs. They're a classical chair shape

but it's made out of single injection moulded polycarbonate.

So, it's like a microcosm of the whole house.

It's something really old but it's been made really new.

Not ones to do things by halves,

Philippa and Owen have also changed the name of the hotel

from the Welsh, Castell Malgwyn, to Hammet House.

The idea for renaming the house was to take it back to its roots.

This is Sir Benjamin Hammet,

he's the chap that had the house built in 1795, and we do like

to think that he's got a little bit more of a smile on his face.

But, in this corner of Welsh Wales,

the couple's changes haven't met with general approval.

We did have one lady, who stomped in and told me

that I couldn't do this to this house,

didn't I know this was a much loved house?

And I was, sort of, felt like telling her,

well, actually it's my house.

People, I wouldn't say they get stuck in their ways here,

but... they get stuck in their ways here!

There are hotels similar to this in the UK.

I think obviously London, the Cotswolds, Brighton,

just general areas that are the Mecca of more trendiness

and we're trying to bring a bit of that to the area.

Owen and Philippa have invested their life savings

and all their energy into the business.

Guests expect a perfectly cooked breakfast,

served swiftly, with a smile.

But they're new to the hotel trade, and found that delivering

a luxury service means they have to be hands-on, seven days a week.

There's an old shed in the garden here. It's a bit of an eyesore.

We've got a couple of housekeepers, but obviously they need help

when we've got loads of rooms to do, and it's important

for them to know that A - that I'm there to help them

and B - that I'm there to check on them as well,

which I'm sure annoys some of the staff sometimes.

It's putting up a bit more of a fight than expected.

Owen's very similar in that respect.

I'd say we're both pretty limited in our capacity to trust other people

to do things absolutely properly.

Pillows have a label on them, and the label must always go

underneath the flap of the pillowcase,

to ensure that it does not show through.

I do get in a bit of a rage if I see one showing through,

and it gets made a note of, and someone gets talked to.

Ah, job done!

It definitely has been a very steep learning curve, hasn't it?

Yes. I was a forensic scientist,

so this is all quite different to my previous career.

It's certainly not a lifestyle that I'd recommend for anybody.

Don't say that! No.

Summer season is make or break in the hotel trade.

To succeed, Hammet House needs to be fully booked.

But, because of the refurbishment work,

many of the rooms can't be used.

The couple need to get the work finished quickly,

especially with wedding bookings looming.

This room is for the mother of the bride.

Time's ticking now, furniture's not here,

the blinds aren't here, the bed's not together,

the mirror's not up, the picture's not up.

Urgh! So, whether we're going to be able to use this room,

I don't know at the moment.

It's going to be touch and go.

Ohh!

It's a very, very big house, big project,

so it's sort of endless, really.

We've got this old style wallpaper.

50% of people come through the door to the corridor, and say,

"Oh, what wonderful wallpaper!

"You're not getting rid of that, are you?"

And the other 50% of people come up here and go,

"Oh!" And we go, "Oh!" because we hate this wallpaper

and can't wait to get rid of it.

It's the old, we want it gone, we want it stripped

and painted in our palette of greys to match the rest of the house.

When we were in the process of buying the hotel,

people were saying, "Oh, that's very brave!"

And we thought, what are you on about? It's not brave.

But, I think, actually, now we're here, maybe we were a bit brave.

We've got a lot, well, everything's riding

on the success of this business.

We will make a success of this.

Because I don't know what we're going to do if we don't.

Dawnsio haf or Summer Dancing is an age old Welsh tradition,

celebrating the arrival of summer, and the start of the fine weather.

But this year, the sun was slow to appear.

It's the final day of the bank holiday weekend.

And in Barry, the weather's gloomy.

But with so much at stake, Vernon takes a gamble

and opens the park gates.

All right, we'll get open now. Ashley, put some music on, please.

Whether it's going to be financially viable or not,

I don't know, but I feel because it's the Bank Holiday Monday,

we've got to try, and try and get something in, you know.

Slowly but surely, customers trickle in.

Tell you what. If you have another go, I'll give you five darts.

Thank you, thank you. Thank you.

Want to buy any food or are you starving it?

While Vernon and his fairground team

worry about how soon the weather will break,

park owner Ian Rogers' mind is on his leisure complex.

The piazza's going to go right the way through to the beach.

Just by here, there's going to be a big, sort of,

multi-storey car park, and then down here

we've got sort of a glass tunnel.

Where the log flume is, there will be a big sort of glass dome,

and this will be where the cinema screen's going to go.

I think it's going to be a shame for it to go

but it's all got to be levelled off.

Be surprising how much room there's going to be

when this comes down, you know.

This is just an artist's impression of what it's going to look like.

The log flume at the moment is in this area here - quite a big chunk.

The multi-screen cinema/ten pin bowling alley

is going to be put into this area.

The multi-storey car park in the middle.

We've got cafe quarters, bars, restaurants underneath.

It's fantastic. I can't wait to get it underway.

It's a dream come true.

It looks like there's no place

for Vernon and the fairground in the complex.

Worse, the weather has broken

and the soggy crowd soon heads for home.

It's not going to clear up, there's no point in trying to kid yourself

that it is going to clear up.

We'll have to close the gates, unfortunately.

When there's weather like this, he gets stressed out.

He's not just thinking of himself,

he thinks of everyone he's brought in to this park.

He's a genuine guy, he's a nice fella.

He's a likeable fella, you know.

I thought it was going to clear up earlier

and give us a little bit more chance, but, unfortunately, no,

the weather's beaten us once again.

The end of another glorious day!

On tiny Cribinau, in St Cwyfan's Church in the Sea,

they're awaiting the bride.

The tide's great, it's just about coming to the turn, I think,

but it's behaving exceedingly well today, I'm happy to say.

I just don't want to be like Mary Poppins and take off!

So, Gareth. If you will take Amy's ring...

Well, as Gareth and Amy have consented together in marriage,

and have made their pledge to one another

and before God, I declare that they are now husband and wife.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Gareth, you may kiss your wife.

APPLAUSE

I'm the happiest man in the world!

I've got myself a wife, so, yeah, all good.

We moved to Anglesey when Amy was six, and she came here.

She said, "Mum, I'm going to get married here."

And she was six years old, and it's been a fairytale wedding.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We've actually had a wedding reception here,

a very small wedding, and they spread out a blanket

and had a reception picnic. It was brilliant. It was just lovely.

No toilets, no power, no water, so you use your initiative round here.

Ceremony over, the wedding party heads back to the mainland

in search of creature comforts.

OK, well, there we are. Wedding done, everything went beautifully,

and everybody's safely off the island before the tide comes in.

So I'm going to go, because I'm not being stranded here

till late tonight, so, that's it. Wrap it up for today, OK?

In summer 2012, we were all encouraged to stay-cation.

That's holiday at home to you and me.

It should have been a bumper year for campsites and hotels

but the weather undermined the best laid plans.

Hiya, guys! Just arrived? Have you set up and everything, OK?

-Yep.

-Yeah. Just to let you know, there's a little bit of wet weather

coming tonight, so, just to make sure you're all pegged in.

At Three Cliffs Bay campsite in the Gower,

owner Tom Beynon has just heard of the approach

of a nasty weather front.

We've got a full site coming in,

and the weathermen are suggesting there's going to be a monsoon,

which isn't particularly helpful.

Just to make sure everything is secure

and you don't leave anything that can fly away during the night.

Tom's family have been running the campsite for three generations.

My grandmother and grandfather used to farm the farm.

And one day, somebody knocked on the door, one wet Friday evening,

wanted to put a tent in the field,

which my grandfather and grandmother thought they were nuts.

But then they saw a bit of money, and they thought,

"Oh well, hang on", you know, "let's not be too hasty."

So, we had a tent in the bottom corner there

with the sheep in the field.

We get lots of regulars that come year in, year out,

which is really nice, and some people you get to know.

And several people, who came here as children,

who've got married here as well.

So, we get a real, real mix of people,

and sometimes in the summer we can have 200 people playing football.

It all adds to the nice family atmosphere

that we've got going on here.

This is the view that the campers get to look at

when they have their cornflakes in the mornings.

This former sheep field is now regularly reviewed

as being one of Europe's top campsites.

In fact, one national paper voted it as having the best view

from a campsite anywhere in the world.

When it's sunshine and lovely,

everybody wants to be overlooking Three Cliffs Bay like these tents.

But like this evening now,

when a little bit of wind and a little bit of rain is on the way,

we need to put the people in the protected fields

at the back there to give them a bit of shelter

from the inclement weather.

It doesn't take long before the wet front arrives.

But the hardy campers' spirits aren't dampened.

Glass of wine and some beer. All ready for the night.

Camping, which was once enjoyed by only the most adventurous of us,

has become a British holiday craze.

With money tight, millions of families are embracing

sleeping bags, camp fires and tent pegs.

We had one practice run.

I'm hoping we've got the right poles.

For the veteran camper, it can offer a little entertainment.

It's the worst possible scenario, isn't it?

Exactly what you wish doesn't happen when you turn up at a campsite.

But it's quite nice watching them doing it.

It happens to all of us at some point or other.

It is quite bad. I'm sure Sam will go and help them in a minute.

I love it, though. I love the rain actually,

as long as it doesn't go on for too long.

No, it's really nice. It's that cosy, warm, cosy feeling.

We were hoping for a bit better weather, really.

It might be a bit better tomorrow. That will do.

I tell you what, if there's any relationships going on there...

They're all broken and severed now.

It's going to take a couple of days for that to make up.

But if you can past that, you'll get past anything.

It's the first test in a marriage.

Get that out of the way, you'll cruise through the rest of it.

The summer was turning out to be the wettest since records began.

-WEATHER REPORTS:

-'But already, more rain in the south

'is spreading northwards, again some of it heavy.

'The wind is strongest in the south and west...'

'..it is looking wet and windy

'so outdoor activities could be quite challenging.'

Everyone's hoping for good weather,

not least the inhabitants of Pritchard Street

in South Wales' Ely Valley.

This summer they're stringing up the bunting to celebrate

the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

-Rise up the top.

-Up you go.

These 88 households have held street parties to mark every

big occasion since the 1940s. From VE Day to Royal weddings.

Well, it means a chance for everybody to get together

and have a good time and reacquaint with each other.

Valleys communities are very close-knit and in Pritchard Street

everyone from young to old gets involved.

My dad lives down by there, I live by here,

and my brother lives over there.

Including long term resident, Marian Owen.

In this street, you never, ever feel alone.

And as you grow older, I think you need that,

that you need that, you know, a coming together.

Parties on Pritchard Street are a cut above the norm.

Everyone is expected to wear fancy dress.

-Wayne.

-Yeah?

-Let it come out a bit from there.

With over 200 residents plus friends and relatives

coming from all over, Pritchard Street is pulling out all the stops

and laying on a big spread.

We've got a bit of a production line going here.

But with the gloomy weather forecast for the long Jubilee weekend,

will their big day be a big washout?

The most important part of today is that it doesn't rain.

Please, Mr Weatherman, be kind. Derek, I'm talking to you.

Torrential rain may have spoiled the early summer for many,

but for some, it's just what they've been hoping for.

In the foothills of Snowdonia, two enthusiasts

and their families are on a quest.

Isn't this fantastic? Absolutely beautiful.

Andrew Smith and John Piggott are wild swimmers,

spending their free time hunting out new bathing spots to explore,

far from the safety of lifeguards and swimming pool rules.

Despite the water temperature being a chilly 12 degrees Celsius,

these two shun wetsuits in favour of a more natural approach.

I don't have anything against wetsuits if you want to wear them.

I prefer not to. I want to have

as little between me and the environment as possible.

I want to feel the water. You know,

if there's fish in there or weeds then I want to feel those as well.

For other people's consideration,

I might wear some swimming trunks. I will be today.

John has been wild swimming since childhood

and swims every day if he can.

I think some people sort of would actually like to do it

but then don't think they can.

You get all sorts of people say all sorts of things, but I'm old

enough now, I don't care what people think anymore, so it's good fun.

Very excited.

Surrounded by sea on three sides, with 568 lakes

and over 1,000 rivers and streams,

Wales is a paradise for wild swimmers.

And while some will happily bathe all year round,

for most, summer is the season to venture out.

The summer makes it so much easier.

We've just got a couple of rucksacks,

and we haven't loaded up with warm clothes to get in afterwards.

And it's not blowing a gale.

Yeah, in the summer, everything is fair game.

Oh, absolutely wonderful.

Best swim I've ever done, I think, this one.

Whoo!

Summer is festival season in Wales, with hundreds of events

from local to international taking place across the country.

For Wales' event caterers, it's their busiest season.

That one's ready.

Jonathan Williams is the founder and owner of Cafe Mor...

Crab sandwich.

..a mobile catering business specialising in fresh Welsh seafood.

The company is only a year old, but this summer, Jonathan plans

to launch himself into festival season in a big way...

-How's it all going?

-Getting there.

..with the help of his supportive mum, Tina.

I retired last year, you know.

She's done more work in the last year than in the last 20, I think.

Excuse me!

Next week is the first big one, that's Hay-on-Wye Book Festival.

You know, it's 250,000 people go to Hay.

Obviously it's international these days.

You know, you're keen to get everything spot on and right.

And the next big one after that then, we're doing Wakestock

up in North Wales and it's definitely a younger market there.

-And then after that we've got the Eisteddfod.

-Yes.

-Oh, no, you grease the...

-I know what I'm doing.

-You've got to grease the greaseproof paper.

-I know.

-Why are you doing that?

-Just leave me alone.

-I never do it like that.

-Yes, cos the greaseproof... Just shush!

Last year, Cafe Mor was judged

overall winner of the British Street Food Festival.

Put these brownies in there.

Jonathan's prize - a pitch in the Athletes' Village

of the London 2012 Olympics,

smack bang in the middle of Welsh festival season.

We're getting all these beach huts ready. It's going to be really busy.

I don't think about it all. I wouldn't be able to cope.

So I just think about the next week, really.

And if that weren't pressure enough, Jonathan and his partner Hannah

are just weeks away from the birth of their first child.

If it comes on the 13th or 14th of June, that would be ideal.

But, you know, there's no way I'm missing the birth of my child.

It could potentially come at any time,

but when it does, that's it, he's coming back to be with me.

There's no question about that. I don't care what he's doing.

Yeah, definitely, it's going to be a manic, manic summer.

Jonathan's first event of the season is the 10-day

Hay International Book Festival,

which, this year, is celebrating its 25th birthday.

Right, can I help anyone?

Big crowds are expected and Jonathan's hoping to do well.

Have you taken the names of everyone who's ordered?

They're all standing in front of us.

-Are they?

-It won't be long. Five minutes.

It's like a wave. Everyone's starving.

Cafe Mor catered the festival last year

and Jonathan has a good grasp of what his well-read customers expect.

We don't have fresh crab in Oklahoma. It's a land-locked state.

She's my number one customer in Hay.

Business is good but it's still early days.

With festival pitches costing thousands,

Jonathan needs to do well at each and every event this summer.

It's a great way to start the season

and see how it goes in the next couple of events, really.

Looks great, don't you think?

I think it's the best one here.

Summer's a busy time for the nation's private country houses.

On the border between Wales and England,

set in 60 acres of parkland, stands Bryngwyn Hall, ancestral seat

of the Sandbach family and home of Auriol, Marchioness of Linlithgow.

I've known this house since I was five

and I completely fell in love with it.

That's my grandfather.

He was Curzon's military secretary

when Curzon was Viceroy of India.

And everything in here, he brought back.

This is Gary, an Indian gharial, which is an Indian alligator,

which was shot in Jogiwala...

It's a wonderful name, Jogiwala, isn't it?

..in 1907.

And then we have Monty Python up there,

who was shot in Bhutan.

He might need a bit of restoration one day but he's OK for the moment.

I feel a great responsibility here. I very much feel myself that

I don't own this place, that I'm a custodian.

It's mine for my lifetime and will be handed on to the next

generation for their tenure.

This is a portrait painted of me when I was married to John Ropner.

Anyway, I couldn't think why

I had to be painted this specific size, only to find out I was

put into the frame of John's first wife when he'd given her a portrait.

And when we sadly parted, he gave me the portrait but not the frame.

And history doesn't relate if the third wife is in the same frame.

I used to, once upon a time, in the dim and distant past,

be a model, which really annoyed my father intensely.

And what might you be wanting up here, madam?

When Lady Linlithgow inherited Bryngwyn in 1987,

the Grade II listed house had been mothballed for over 50 years

and was practically derelict.

You know you're not really meant to come up here

unless specifically invited, don't you?

It was in the most appalling state. There was dry rot everywhere.

Bats, mice, rats, you name it. It was a complete haven for wildlife.

And the garden was in the most ghastly state.

But I had this great passion to want to restore this house.

It was very exciting, actually,

but financially it was extremely difficult.

Right, I did this last night.

One is very, very lucky to have an estate

but unless you're very, very, very rich, which I'm not,

you have to be prepared to get your feet dirty like this.

I'm not doing very well here, am I? Have you got a stick there, Tudor?

No, I haven't.

There might be one behind that bush.

I like being hands-on.

I'd be very bored if I didn't have something to do like this.

Hey! Come here! Come here, you bloody dog!

Faith, Faith. She's just found a baby pheasant. Faith! Leave it!

Bad dog!

To fund the restoration and running of Bryngwyn,

Lady Linlithgow has had to turn it into a money-making enterprise

with the help of her household of five full-time staff.

Cook Christine Horton has seen it all.

We started doing tours of the house,

perhaps tea or lunch or whatever and it's just gone on from there.

Then we started doing shooting and weddings. What's the next?

Paranormal, I hear. Oh, my!

Whatever the event, a careful eye must be kept on the budget.

So what have we got to eat?

I think we'll be about eight.

I haven't got a salmon in.

-What are salmon like at the moment?

-Expensive.

Are they? We're sensible without being stingy, aren't we?

-We are.

-And we spend, what we spend the most money on is on meat.

Really, really good quality meat and really good quality fish.

And a huge sirloin with a fillet in is expensive

but some of our shooting guests love it

and they're regular customers and, of course, one gives them the best.

Yeah.

And then we pray that they choose something cheap on the menu instead.

Courgettes or something!

Running Bryngwyn Hall makes for a hectic schedule

but daily Pilates lessons help Lady Linlithgow

deal with the strain.

Do you want to get the heart rate up a bit?

-Do a bit of bouncing on the ball?

-Not really.

Are you doing it too? Go away.

-Come on, darling.

-Go away!

-Come on, darling.

It's certainly helps the stress. There's a massive amount to do.

There's the garden, there's the house. The buck stops here with me.

Right, we've done enough of that.

'There are always things that need attending to.

'It's a costly operation, keeping this house going.'

I was approached some years ago as to

whether I would let the house be used as a porn movie location.

And that is a no-no. Absolute no-no.

SHE LAUGHS

Some 65 miles to the North West, on the other side of Wales,

tradition also plays a big part in everyday life.

On the rugged Carneddau mountain range in Snowdonia,

early summer's marked by the centuries-old custom of gathering.

HE SHOUTS AND WHISTLES

Sheep which have been left to graze all spring on the mountain slopes

are herded together and brought down to the lowlands, ready for shearing.

Owen Pritchard's family has been taking part

in this age-old roundup for over 100 years.

I am the fourth generation on my family's farm

and it's nice to see the old traditional jobs going on.

HE SHOUTS COMMANDS

Today he's joined by five other neighbouring farmers to bring

hundreds of sheep down from the mountain,

and then separate them into individual flocks.

What's happening now?

Just getting the sheep in. As soon as they're all,

we've got a full pen here, we'll catch individual ones out.

Each one of these sheep has its own mark.

It's a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.

So that's our specific mark. It's a T on its side.

It comes from the shape of the old tables

they used to use for splitting slates.

My great grandfather was a quarryman

so that's still stayed with the family, really.

This one here has been born on the mountain

so it hasn't got any mark but I saw it come in with one of our ewes

so it should find its mother over there.

So hopefully...

..she'll be one with an orange spot and a purple mark on her head.

She's over there.

When we get her down to the farm we'll mark her

and put an ear mark on her so we know that it's ours.

We own this lamb.

For Owen, this is his dream job.

I grew up here, I've never wanted to do anything else.

It really is a pleasure to be farming. I mean,

you can't get a better office than up there in the mountains.

HE SHOUTS COMMANDS

But down on the family farm of Glanmor Isaf, it's not his sheep

that will be taking up most of his time this summer.

Summer, to me, means campers and it means fitting jobs

on the farm around the campers.

Owen's jumped on board the hot travel trend of glamping -

otherwise known as glamorous camping.

Like many farmers, he's had to modernise to survive.

The farm isn't big enough to sustain two families,

so the idea was that I went away

and I ended up teaching, believe it or not, for 10 years.

When I looked at moving back and doing more work on the farm,

it was obvious I had to bring more money into the business.

I looked at setting up these posh tents and

that seemed to be a nice idea and it seemed to pay the bills.

The type of customer we have normally is middle class

who want to see a bit of the country,

who don't like the idea of pitching a tent in the rain.

It is camping because you're in the countryside.

The mountains are just outside your front door.

But you're not going to get cold with the stove,

you've got a toilet in the tent

and the proper beds to sleep on.

This is the toilet.

It flushes and it's like a medieval castle toilet.

For Owen, farming may be second nature,

but playing the good host is a whole new challenge.

I try to go round the campers at least twice a day.

I only go round the sheep once a day.

-You up the tree again, Harry?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Do you want to sleep up there this evening?

-Yeah.

Humans are more demanding than the animals.

You've got to watch the kids sometimes. They climb everything.

They climb the trees, they'll go up walls,

they'll try and climb up on top of the hen coops.

I've actually found one toddler -

I was checking the water one morning

and there was a lot of rustling from inside the hen coop.

And I opened the nest box and all I saw was two little legs and

some toddler had decided she wanted to get in to check for eggs and she

couldn't work out how to open the lid so she went in through the door.

Owen's guests not only require a watchful eye,

they also want a taste of farm life.

It's really good for the kids to learn about the animals

They can obviously collect eggs from the chickens,

they always like holding the chickens.

'We offer various different extras, if you like.'

The ones that they like,

especially the children, is the private chicken coops.

And, for a fee, they can have two chickens in that coop

and then they get to feed them and collect the eggs and clean them out.

It just gives them a taste of farming.

OK, if you want to take it out,

you can have that for your breakfast tomorrow. Is there one there?

For Owen, the extra work the summer glampers bring is well worth it.

The tents have been my way of ensuring that I can come to farm.

To bring my kids up on the farm

is what I feel is the ideal way of growing up.

If everything goes well, I'll be here for the foreseeable, I think.

Despite the rain and chilly temperatures,

the Diamond Jubilee brought out the party spirit in the people of Wales.

At Powis Castle, they've rolled out the bunting and transported

visitors back to 1952, the year the Queen inherited the throne.

SONG: "Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)"

# Swing, swing, swing, swing Listen to those trumpets swing

# Like dee-dee-dee... #

Fun day out, really.

# Now you're singing with a swing... #

It's a lovely era. it's a very elegant era.

# Listen to those trombones blow... #

Celebrating with picnics and cream teas...

It's a good day for cake.

-We all like sweets, don't we?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

-And we're off!

..and good old-fashioned fun.

# Everybody start to sing

# Like dee-dee-dee, bah, bah, bah-dah

# Everybody goes. #

APPLAUSE

Back in the Ely Valley, the weather's held, and last-minute

preparations for the Pritchard Street party are well underway.

This is going to be a party for the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen.

Kate, come and spray me, babe.

Marian's neighbour, Sadye,

is putting the finishing touches to her costume.

We're just prepping ourselves now as grannies.

The Queen's muckers, we are.

There you go - my sexy pop socks.

I even bought a granny bra but I won't show you that.

I have a surprise - I have bloomers on.

Welcome to the Tonyrefail street party!

Come on out of your houses. Show your faces.

I'm Audrey Hepburn.

But with blonde hair.

The whole street's made an effort to dress up.

Marian's going as the Queen.

Sadye is going to have a makeover with me,

which should be about six months, I think.

As Marian gets the royal treatment,

neighbour Dai, a factory foreman, is keeping alive a tradition

started by his father at the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

If my father's done it, it's all right to do it

and the way to go and the street party is about tradition.

-Does that hurt?

-No, it's fine. Which do you think?

-That's it. Like Sadye got.

-That's it.

-Have I got it? Have I got it?

-Yeah.

-Right, I've got it.

With her wave perfected, Marian's ready to make an appearance.

-Hey, thank you.

-There we are.

-All right?

Best Welsh cake maker in the world, you are.

Thank you. And the best neighbour in the world.

-Ah!

-Yes.

The street's oldest resident, 85-year old Alice Hippsley,

makes a grand entrance dressed as an Olympic Torch bearer.

CHEERING

Finally, it's time for the traditional Pritchard Street

party parade and photograph.

-One, two three.

-ALL: Cheese!

At Three Cliffs, the bad weather has well and truly set in.

Camping in conditions like this is not for the faint-hearted.

We've got a bit of a blowy tent over here, which

I think the people have actually gone to a B&B for the night.

As you can see, the wind and the rain is having a bit of an effect on that.

But everything else, considering it's quite rough,

everyone else seems pretty, pretty good.

It's fantastic. You can't beat it, can you?

I mean, you know,

you wouldn't want to go to, like, Tenerife or anywhere, really,

or Acapulco. I've done them.

So us wardens will just be up now and just keeping

an eye on everyone, and try to get them through the night.

You've got to be nuts, but you can't not go, especially

if you've paid for it in advance, which we have.

Yeah, we've had a couple of cancellations,

a couple of people chickened out. It's all part of the adventure,

coming in this weather. I think it's part of the experience.

We've probably had about 10% of people cancelling, which, actually,

for the weather warnings that they've given, we're quite pleased with that.

Yes, it will be sunshine tomorrow, so it will all be OK tomorrow. Yeah.

Hiya, buddy, all right? How you doing?

-Is that the cleverest idea to try and take it down?

-We just...

Right, what we got to do, we've got do these zips up, look,

because the wind's getting in there, which is blowing it up.

The wind just blew the pegs out the floor

and the tent nearly disappeared.

So we had to grab it before it took off.

Are you pushing or pulling?

Probably go find a B&B, I think.

Can't get the tent back up with a broken pole.

This hasn't put you off camping though, has it?

You'll be back next year.

There we are, see? One tent down today, another one tomorrow.

Keep on going, that's what we need.

A bit of sunshine over there, there we are.

It'll be sunny in an hour, everyone.

-WEATHER REPORTS:

-'Wales is in the firing line for some heavy rain,

'gales and a risk of flooding.'

'Very gusty winds and we've got the heavy rains'.

Next time...

I want to see a castle, some pubs.

..the Americans do North Wales...

The weather could be a little nicer but that's not anybody's fault.

I'd like to know where they got all their rock.

..the WI descend on Bryngwyn Hall...

Christine gets very nervous when they're coming to tea.

I'm making scones. Which I hate.

This is Stacey's house.

..TV tourists descend on Barry...

If you stand by them and blur your eyes a bit,

it looks like the real thing.

Ladies and gentlemen.

..and Owen and Philippa are put to the test.

A lot of our business relies on our reputation.

I'm just looking for the groom.

Monkey!

Grab your wife, get her in.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd