0:00:02 > 0:00:05- Summer in Wales is a time of celebration...- ALL: Cheese!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07- ..holidays... - I want to see a castle, pubs...
0:00:07 > 0:00:11- Keep rowing! - ..and the great outdoors.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- Woo!- 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 > 0:00:22You've got to try and keep your head above water at the moment.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26A time when good weather can make all things possible...
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and bad can leave dreams in tatters.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The weather could be a little nicer, but that's not anybody's fault.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34The summer was truly extraordinary.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37- Was that the cleverest idea to try and take it down?- Um...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39It saw laughter...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- SHE LAUGHS - ..heartache...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- It's going to be a cruel game. - ..triumph...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- I came second.- ..and despair.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47The weather's beaten us once again.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49These 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 > 0:00:59This is a story of a summer in Wales.
0:00:59 > 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 > 0:01:20But despite the grey skies, black clouds
0:01:20 > 0:01:24and heavy rain, our overseas visitors kept on coming.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29The American cruise liner Caribbean Princess,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31the largest ship ever to visit our shores,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34came steaming in to Holyhead Harbour.
0:01:35 > 0:01:41On board 3,500 passengers planning to "do" North Wales in a day.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48I want to see a castle, some pubs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50My mother was an Owen.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52SHE LAUGHS
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Wasn't Tom Jones from Wales?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Yes, we were Tom Jones fans a long time ago.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00On the dockside, 45 coaches stand ready to whisk the passengers
0:02:00 > 0:02:03to tourist locations all over North Wales...
0:02:04 > 0:02:08..and back again, in the space of just 12 hours.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17One of the top attractions on the list is Caernarfon Castle.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23A tour of Welsh castles is the must-do activity
0:02:23 > 0:02:27of your average overseas holiday-maker's trip to the UK,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29ahead of Buckingham Palace, Harrods shopping,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32a Premiere League football match, or a whisky tour.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The weather could be a little nicer, but that's not anybody's fault,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41so we won't hold that against you.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45In America, we do not have anything like this, so to us it is amazing.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52My wife was expecting more grand rooms like she's seen in the movies,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54but so far we haven't found those,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56unless you happen to know where they are.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01The castle seems to hold up better under the weather
0:03:01 > 0:03:04than modern dwellings do.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08- I'd like to know where they get all the rock.- You want this?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10My name is Tyrone Powers, and I came all the way from Texas
0:03:10 > 0:03:13just to see the beautiful castles in Wales.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This is a nice one, a nice castle.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19I came to Wales 15 years ago,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21I thought it was one of the most beautiful places in England.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24What we love is the friendliness of the people.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26We appreciate that very much.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30We'll see what we can see, and meet who we can meet,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and enjoy every minute of it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40A wash-out summer could spell disaster
0:03:40 > 0:03:44for Wales' 7,000-odd hoteliers and guest-house owners.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47This year, a new establishment has joined their ranks.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52On the border between Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion is Hammet House.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Philippa and Owen Gale bought it and invested their life savings,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05transforming it into a luxury retreat.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It's an ambitious project.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12We have got plans to redevelop this into a hot spa pool,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17and then some spa treatment rooms on the inside here.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22As you can see, we've got a lot of work to do to get to that stage.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26The couple are giving the interior an uncompromisingly modern makeover,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31something that's not to everyone's taste in this part of Welsh Wales.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33We did have one lady who stomped in
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and told me that I couldn't do this to this house,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39didn't I know this was a much-loved house?
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And I was, sort of felt like telling her,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43well, actually, it's MY house. SHE LAUGHS
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Summer is the busiest season in the hotel calendar,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and Owen and Philippa face a steep learning curve.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53They're just weeks away from a run of weddings,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and as most event bookings come from personal recommendations,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59it's crucial for future business that these go well.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06We've done quite a few big dinners and banquets for large numbers,
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- but it's not, it's just not the same as a WEDDING.- Wedding.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15For a bride, it has to be perfect, it is their special day,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and we certainly can't ruin it.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22We have a wedding coming up that was booked before we took over,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27who wanted a nice, old-fashioned country house hotel wedding,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30which is what this place was previously,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and when we told them it's going to be completely different,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- there were a few panicked ladies, weren't there?- We did, yes.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Dan and Michelle booked their wedding
0:05:38 > 0:05:42with the previous owners of the hotel over a year ago.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'We found out when we came to make the first payment on the wedding.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Nobody's actually told us beforehand that the place was being sold.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53So that sort of, er, gave us a bit of a shock.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55The good thing is they've basically left the outside
0:05:55 > 0:05:58the way it's always been, which is nice.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So far, the couple haven't been big on detail.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09There's no plan for the day, really,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13so it's just going with the flow with how the day goes.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16But in reality, a great deal of organisation is needed
0:06:16 > 0:06:18to ensure their big day runs smoothly.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22The key point is pre-planning everything
0:06:22 > 0:06:25down to the smallest detail.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Me and Michelle, neither of us are that regimental
0:06:27 > 0:06:29when it comes to something like this.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I'd be happier once I've actually got a list of everything, and the times,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and who's doing what at each time, what time the DJ's arriving,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39we'll have to get the room cleared, ready for him to set up,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42what time they're having their evening buffet,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45what are we putting the evening buffet on?
0:06:45 > 0:06:47For novice wedding organiser Philippa,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50this laid-back couple pose a real challenge.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54And the numbers are the same for the day and the evening, aren't they?
0:06:54 > 0:06:59- With the...- So it's 90 in the day? And then evening?
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- We've got...another 40. - Plus 40.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04- Yes. - SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:07:04 > 0:07:07You're not having a receiving line?
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- No.- Makes it less regimental, to be honest.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- Yes, more fitting in with your...- Yes.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- You want it to run as a... - Yes, just a relaxed vibe.- Yes.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- Yes, relaxed and informal, don't you?- Mmm.- Yes. Um,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- you've got desserts included as well.- Yes.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So there'll be a selection of cheesecake...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23A Black Forest gateau would marvellous.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Black Forest gateau, OK.- Yes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Just make sure there's one whole one, ready for the groom.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30With the wedding just over a week away,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32it looks like Philippa has her work cut out.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37I'm feeling, um, almost in control at the moment.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42I can't foresee any problems. SHE LAUGHS
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Um, yes. Just endless lists of little things that need to be done.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55If you're a garden lover, Wales won't disappoint.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57The country is packed full of them.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Some of them are even world-famous,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04but sometimes the most interesting are not the grandest,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08as hundreds of ordinary back gardens are thrown open each summer,
0:08:08 > 0:08:09all in the name of charity.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14In a far-flung suburb of Cardiff,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18keen gardener Stephen Evans is preparing to meet his public.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I spend more time in the garden than I do in the house.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I go to bed at nine o'clock every night and I'm up when it gets light,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28so I can go out and I can have my cup of tea in the garden
0:08:28 > 0:08:31at five o'clock in the morning and do a little bit of weeding
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and cut the lawn in the afternoon when it's nice and dry.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Ah, there's a worm there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I don't want to spoil his life, he can go in there.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I even wipe my feet on the way out to the house in case there's
0:08:44 > 0:08:48dirt on the carpet and I don't want it on the lawn after I've come out.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54It's opening day today, so I'm going to sit here and look forward to
0:08:54 > 0:08:58seeing all my visitors and they're all very, very welcome.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59- Hello.- Morning!
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Lucky with the weather today, aren't we?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05You're the first ones I've had today so far.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Stephen's beautifully groomed garden takes recycling to
0:09:10 > 0:09:14a new level, with quirky uses for all kinds of discarded items.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Well, I've got ornaments galore, cos I like to go round all the
0:09:19 > 0:09:23charity shops or if I see something dumped in a lay-by that I can alter,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28I'll pick it up, have a little look at it in the garden. If I like it,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31it stays there for the rest of my days.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Any fish in there?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Only those artificial ones.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Oh, right.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38There's loads of newts in there.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42My leopard, tiger, whatever he is. I can never remember!
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Oh, I think it's glorious.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I think he's done a tremendous job over the years,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50patiently and carefully, without spending huge amounts of funds,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and just thoughtfully building it the way he wants it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57All the flowers that I've got here, which are artificial,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59they all came from a charity shop.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06I had the kennel off a policeman up the road and he was just
0:10:06 > 0:10:09putting it on the skip so I asked him if I could have it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And when he came down here some time later to have a look around,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16he said, "Oh, I didn't know you only had a clay dog!"
0:10:16 > 0:10:19You can't believe when you go up the road, what's behind the house.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21It looks lovely in there
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but it was no use to the people who had it
0:10:24 > 0:10:27because the back of it was all smashed.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I think it's actually quite witty. He's got an interesting
0:10:31 > 0:10:34sense of humour and it comes out in the ornaments and
0:10:34 > 0:10:36the little mottos and things around the garden.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I was lucky, I was given this table and the very next day
0:10:40 > 0:10:44the people opposite had this chair because the others didn't match.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49When I had the umbrella, I had a bracket there and I put the tray
0:10:49 > 0:10:53taped on there, so the cigarette ends and sweet packets can go in there.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I don't mind if they're on the floor in the house,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58but they're not to go in my garden.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Everybody have said how much they enjoyed
0:11:03 > 0:11:06walking around and a few have said how immaculate the lawn was.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10When I told them I cut it every other day, they couldn't believe me.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23On the coast of South Wales, a break in the weather brings
0:11:23 > 0:11:27the first crowd of the season to the seaside resort of Barry Island.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Try and win a goldfish. You're wearing orange, you having a go?
0:11:33 > 0:11:37The wash-out summers of recent years have seen visitor numbers dwindle.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41But five years ago, Barry's declining fortunes
0:11:41 > 0:11:43were given a dramatic boost.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48A popular TV sitcom has put Barry Island firmly on the TV tourism map.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Linda Bailey is a guide for the official Gavin and Stacey Tour,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59taking visitors in their thousands
0:11:59 > 0:12:02to the filming locations used in the series.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Testing, testing. It's working, Dave.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11A little bit of acting involved, in as much as you're a character.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I take on, like, the Nessa second cousin bit.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I'm Sally from the Rhondda Valley.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Set these song sheets up.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Hope we've got a few good singers on here.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26If you know the words to Islands In The Stream,
0:12:26 > 0:12:27just sing along.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It's thought that Gavin and Stacey has boosted visitor numbers
0:12:33 > 0:12:36by as much as 25%.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38There you are, fabulous.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40And Barry is now one of the most popular TV
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and film locations to visit in the UK.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. What's occurring?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Tell me where you've come from.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- Abbie?- Derbyshire.- Oh!
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Absolutely fabulous!
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- Karen?- Birmingham.- Fabulous! Gareth?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- Only Bridgend. - Right, that's fabulous.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06These die-hard fans have travelled from all over the UK
0:13:06 > 0:13:08and beyond to take this tour.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Riding on Dave's actual coach from the series, they'll visit
0:13:13 > 0:13:18a dozen or so filming locations. Some are more memorable than others.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Including the church where Nessa almost married Dave.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26My colleague went in last time and there was a funeral going on.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Wasn't very welcoming, I tell you.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31So she was Ness-ified bride.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34She said she wanted to be look basically like a fat Boadicea
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and she was determined to wear those boots.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41They said, "Are you sure you want to wear them?
0:13:41 > 0:13:42"For comfort, why suffer?"
0:13:44 > 0:13:47All right, then, here we go.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Once you've had your photographs in here, speak nicely to Dave,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55he'll let you sit in the driver's seat.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Don't touch any of the controls, though, all right?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Everybody loves it. They love having their photograph taken
0:14:04 > 0:14:08in Dave's seat and quite often with Dave.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I don't know what it is. He's just got that je ne sais quoi, I reckon.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Next stop, Nessa's caravan park home
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and the base for her fortune telling business.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20We're not allowed to go in the caravan,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21but we can all stand outside.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Normally this location is a prime photo opportunity.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Oh, I can't believe this weather. Sorry, guys.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32But not today.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36I don't think we're going to stay long here, right?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39That was our Nessa inside the caravan, of course.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Quite a few people like having a photograph here
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but you're welcome to borrow this.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I know it's not a crystal ball, but times are hard.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Anyone want to put Nessa's scarf on?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58They're giving up and going back to the coach. I don't blame them.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59The elements may be against them
0:14:59 > 0:15:03but these TV tourists are made of sterner stuff.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Start the bus up, love.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Sorry about the wind-sweeping experience there.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12It's onwards to Stacey's house.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20At the opposite end of the country
0:15:20 > 0:15:22is a more traditional tourist attraction.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Llandudno - Wales' largest seaside resort has been offering
0:15:26 > 0:15:29holiday-makers an old-fashioned beach experience
0:15:29 > 0:15:31for over a century and a quarter.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Hello, everybody.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Here you can still find the delights of Punch and Judy and donkey rides.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40In fact,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42of the eight donkey operators that still survive in Wales,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45two can be found right here.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Come on, girl.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49John Jones is a third-generation donkey man.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Donkeys are in his blood.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52You fall in love with them.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Each one's got little quirks to them.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59There's mannerisms. They're great.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05It's the summer half-term holidays - the beginning of donkey season.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08For the first time this year, John is leading his animals down to
0:16:08 > 0:16:12the town's north shore, where his grandfather started the business.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14We've worked the same section here now for at least
0:16:14 > 0:16:15for at least the last 65 years.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's what we call the jetty side.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It's got more sand on this one.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23John only operates his donkeys in the summer months
0:16:23 > 0:16:24when there's a demand for rides.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27But the rest of the year, he relies on his plumbing
0:16:27 > 0:16:29and heating business to make a living.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Come on, girl. Up, up.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It's a glorious day and the beach is busy.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38The tide is on its way out
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and John should have plenty of sand on which to work.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43But he's faced with a problem.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47We've had an awful lot of sea defence work done and, in the storms in the
0:16:47 > 0:16:50winter, it's brought all the stones down and we're losing our beach.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54And I was hoping it would have been cleared but, oh, look at it,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57there's hardly anywhere to work now. Hardly anywhere at all.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59We'll have to wait now, at least another hour, before we can work
0:16:59 > 0:17:01lower down on the bottom end of the slipway now.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04It's not a good start to the season.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07So we're here but, at the moment, I just can't trade.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Llandudno's second donkey man is Phil Talbot,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13who works the town's west shore.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Hold tight, kids.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Like his competitor John Jones,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20he too has to contend with rocks on the beach.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22But he's come up with a solution.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Rather than lose valuable ride time, he's abandoned the beach
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and instead takes his donkeys to meet the land train which is packed
0:17:29 > 0:17:32full of families with young children.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Business is brisk.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Who's going on now, then? Ready?
0:17:35 > 0:17:36I'm 73.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I started off when I was about nine or ten, with my Uncle Phil.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Tanner a ride when I first started - sixpence in the old money -
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and my uncle used to say, "If they haven't got sixpence,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51"take thruppence but don't go so far with them."
0:17:51 > 0:17:52But we always did.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Where are we going?
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Sometimes they kick me, I still love them.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06They have such a long lifespan, you know.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08They live for donkey's years!
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Back on the north shore, it's low tide
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and with clear sand to play with,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17John can finally get down to business.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- How do you ride a donkey? - This is how you ride a donkey.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Get her into first gear. Here we go. Come on, girl.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28John's mum helps out with the business, and she's concerned.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29It's bad for everybody, this is.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33The way things are going, the cost of keeping them all winter,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37it's a big outlay, you know, and even the little ones we used to get
0:18:37 > 0:18:42years ago, they're all in nursery schools now, so you don't get them.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Plus we used to get a lot of school parties
0:18:44 > 0:18:48but they won't go on now for health and safety.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Despite the many problems, John is determined to battle on.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53It gets into your blood.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55You couldn't do something better, could you?
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Part of summer.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Part of British culture, it is,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and we need to keep it going.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04That's the way to do it. Good girls, there you are.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Summer is a busy time for many of Wales' private country houses.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Some 70 miles south of Llandudno
0:19:17 > 0:19:21on the border with England, stands Bryngwyn Hall, ancestral seat
0:19:21 > 0:19:25of the Sandbach family and home of Auriol, Marchioness of Linlithgow.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Good girl. Is it your dinner time?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Maintaining this substantial Georgian house
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and 60 acres of parkland is costly.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Lady Linlithgow and her household have turned
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Bryngwyn into a money-making enterprise.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42And the summer is a busy season.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Today, they are laying on a tour
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and high tea for very discerning guests.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Christine, the cook, is stressed.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58We've got Trefnanney Women's Institute coming.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00I think there's 25 of them.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04And I really hate doing food for the WI ladies
0:20:04 > 0:20:07because they're all such good cooks.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Christine always gets very nervous when they're coming to tea,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14in case the place isn't dusted or the scones aren't right.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Got to mix in the butter into the flour for the scones,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20which I hate!
0:20:21 > 0:20:24If I could find somewhere that sold little scones,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27I would buy them rather than make them.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Tours of Bryngwyn Hall provide a much-needed source of income
0:20:32 > 0:20:35so it's important that they go well.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39I think the secret to a good tour is to make people feel welcome.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I love opening the house up.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I think I live in paradise here and, as I always say,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47paradise doesn't come cheap.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Guests must be given the right impression,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56so high tea at Bryngwyn is a very formal affair...
0:20:56 > 0:21:01- IN POSH ACCENT:- I like my napkins just so, you know.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03..served on fine china.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07I'll bet. I can see I've got to train you.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Correct.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12So they pick it up and it's, "Do-do-do."
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Every detail must be perfect, particularly the scones.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21I've decided they're coming out.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24I can't wait any longer.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30We can relax, scones are made.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Welcome to Bryngwyn. I'm very conscious you're local
0:21:35 > 0:21:39and I think every time I have a group here, I learn something.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41So if there's anything you can add
0:21:41 > 0:21:45or anything you know about the area or anybody who knew my grandparents,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47please tell me, it's always wonderful.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50It looks like the tour is off to a smooth start.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54But there is a crisis in the kitchen.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I think it's a little overcooked.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58It's a disaster. This is bad.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02And I haven't got a spare.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04It's not good, this, it's not good!
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Unaware of the chaos in the kitchen,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10the WI tour is in full flow.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Lady Linlithgow is entertaining her guests with family yarns.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19That was me when I was painted, when I married John Ropner
0:22:19 > 0:22:24and I didn't realise why I was being painted to certain dimensions
0:22:24 > 0:22:29and it was because I had to go into the frame of John's ex-wife.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33And, I must admit, it makes me laugh now but when John and I split up,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35he gave me the portrait but history doesn't relate
0:22:35 > 0:22:37if the third wife is in the same frame.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42So, we'll just walk through here. This was my mother's flat...
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Bryngwyn Hall may be open to tours,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48but it's still very much a private family home.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50The first time we opened the house,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54we rushed round, tidying it all up, putting everything away,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I mean, look at the kitchen table, it's a complete mess.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59And we said, after the first time,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01"No, this is our home, it's not a house."
0:23:01 > 0:23:05And I think that's what they enjoy because it is not like going into
0:23:05 > 0:23:08a National Trust house. It's definitely going into
0:23:08 > 0:23:11somebody's home and being allowed to have a nosey around.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12So this is my room.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17It's absolutely wonderful apart from the fact that spiders keep
0:23:17 > 0:23:21hatching in here. And I'm terrified of spiders.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26As the tour draws to an end, high tea is laid out in the dining room.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Will Christine's baking please the ladies of the WI?
0:23:30 > 0:23:31Does it work, this thing?
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Will the overcooked vegetarian flan be her undoing?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38I mean, I don't know who does all her cooking for her,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40but it's very much WI standard.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Well, I've only had a few bites so far
0:23:42 > 0:23:45but I'm going back for some more so it must be all right.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Christine has pulled it off.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51We'd like to all thank you from the bottoms of our hearts
0:23:51 > 0:23:54very, very much for an absolutely fascinating evening.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56We all absolutely, really enjoyed the food.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I mean, we've all stuffed ourselves silly.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- Thank you very, very much. - APPLAUSE
0:24:02 > 0:24:04With another successful tour in the bag
0:24:04 > 0:24:09and their reputation intact, the Bryngwyn Hall household can relax.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13I'll take the heels off, put the gumboots on and take the dog out.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Thank you very much. You've done brilliantly.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18- Thank you, thank you.- As ever.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Kitchen's closing.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Kitchen's closed.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34On Wales' south coast in the Swansea suburb of Mumbles,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38a more modest private home is opening to the public.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Mike and Jackie Church are welcoming visitors in to their garden.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47But it's not the plants the visitors have come to see.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I've always wanted a train in the garden.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56We've had this one probably, six, nearly seven years now.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I just said to Jackie one day, I said,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02"Can we put a railway in the garden?"
0:25:02 > 0:25:04And she was a bit dubious at first.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07He started digging it all up
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and I thought, "Oh, dear, my garden!"
0:25:11 > 0:25:15He said, "Well, do you want me to stop or shall I carry on?"
0:25:15 > 0:25:18So I thought, "Well, you can carry on and I'll see what it's like
0:25:18 > 0:25:22"and if I don't like it then you can put it all back."
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But as it turned out, it's great. I love it.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33The couple's tiny garden railway draws enthusiasts from as far away
0:25:33 > 0:25:39as Australia and Germany, not to mention those much closer to home.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Mike and Jackie's garden is absolutely perfect.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46I think it's one of the best ones we've seen in a small area.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50There's so much to see. You never tire of looking, do you?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's a really lovely hobby for husband, wife, family,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57children, grandchildren.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02One of them hobbies that you don't have to be a man.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04A lot of women are involved in it.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I've got more trains than my husband!
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Some days, as many as a dozen guests at a time
0:26:12 > 0:26:15squeeze into their pocket handkerchief of a front garden.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18We get people coming up on a Sunday if we're running,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22which is great because it's a great family hobby.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24Despite Jackie's early doubts,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28the couple are now equally keen railway gardeners.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I mainly look after the grass and the trains
0:26:31 > 0:26:34and Jackie does all the planting
0:26:34 > 0:26:38and everything else that goes with the planting side of it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41We've won Mumbles In Bloom and we've had
0:26:41 > 0:26:45a silver in Swansea In Bloom twice.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53Can't plant hard-stemmed flowers near the train otherwise they'll
0:26:53 > 0:26:57bump into them and derail, so then I'll have a row,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59cos the trains have derailed.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03The only thing is, when I start trimming things off,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08I leave bits behind and my wife says, "Well, why haven't you cleared up?"
0:27:11 > 0:27:15We've got a good compromise. It works well.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It's nice to be outside in the sunshine doing something
0:27:18 > 0:27:20rather than sitting indoors.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29You can come here, come home from work if it's a nice day.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It takes you away from the stress of life, really.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38If you notice, at the back of the train we've got a bride and groom.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Mike and I actually got married on a train in America,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47going round the Hardy Canyon, so that's why that's there.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48- CHILD:- Train coming!
0:27:53 > 0:27:55In North Wales on their whistle-stop tour,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58the American cruise ship passengers have taken to the railways with the
0:27:58 > 0:28:03world's oldest independent company and there have been a few surprises.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08I thought it would be flat.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Wrong!
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Breathtaking views. Photographs, can't wait to get them out.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- It's really beautiful. - And nice people!
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Wales has 14 steam railways
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and they're one of our biggest tourist attractions.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Being this wide, on gauge, and looking down these cliffs,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33it's more exciting than I thought it would be.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40We'll be in Wales for about one day and it probably isn't enough
0:28:40 > 0:28:43so we'll have to plan to come back and visit this lovely country.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45WHISTLE BLOWS
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Tanybwlch!
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Even the wet Welsh weather isn't bothering them.
0:28:52 > 0:28:58We are from Magnolia, Texas, where it's 105 degrees right now.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- We like the cold weather.- No rain, and the trees are brown and dead.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06The only thing we knew about Wales was that it was
0:29:06 > 0:29:08somewhere over here in this area.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13We knew absolutely nothing about it and we just wanted to investigate it
0:29:13 > 0:29:18and to see what it was, and it is beyond our expectations.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22I'm only in Wales for one day and then I have to leave.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25But that doesn't mean I can't come back.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31With nearly a million overseas visitors coming to Wales each year,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34the majority during the summer months,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36tourism has become a vital part of the economy.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39In Conwy, North Wales,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42just under a fifth of the workforce is linked to it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Ex-London finance manager Rhian Wyn Jones,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47who specialises in costume guiding,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49leads Blue Badge tours of the town.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52When you dress up when you're doing guiding,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54you really go into the part.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56I go in character. I am Blodwen then.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I'm a 16th-century maid. I'm not Rhian any more then.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01My friends think I'm having a midlife crisis.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05They're probably right but, you know, I go with the flow.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Morning.- Good morning.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Today, Rhian is giving a private tour of Conwy to a group of 26
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Japanese visitors on a week-long whistle-stop tour of the UK.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- Sumako.- Rhian. Rhian. Rhian.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Rhian. OK.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24- Sumako?- Sumako.- Sumako.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Unfortunately, nobody seems to have explained to the group
0:30:31 > 0:30:34why she's dressed as a 16th-century maid.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Welcome to Conwy, nice to meet you all, and welcome to Wales.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Worse, hardly any of them speak much English.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49If I say a couple of sentences and then you can translate,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and then I'll say another couple of sentences,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53because it's a lot to take in.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55This could be tricky.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- Llywelyn.- Llywelyn. Llywelyn.- Llywelyn.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04SHE CACKLES
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Oh, this is going to be fun.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12First stop, Conwy's medieval castle.
0:31:12 > 0:31:171282. In England it was Edward I that was ruling.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19TRANSLATION FROM JAPANESE
0:31:22 > 0:31:26And in Wales, it was Llywelyn ap Gruffydd
0:31:26 > 0:31:27that was the prince.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Ah, not a good start.
0:31:38 > 0:31:44Now, two reasons why you would be invited to the Great Hall.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46First reason would be for a feast.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51Second reason is if you were accused of a crime.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54So, if you had done a bad deed.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56If you had committed a crime.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Accused. Like a court. Like a courtroom.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07Oh, dear, oh, dear.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11There would have been a stream, a river that would have come along here
0:32:11 > 0:32:14to actually carry away the waste.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17But you can imagine ten soldiers
0:32:17 > 0:32:20sitting there together, reading their newspaper in the morning.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44OK.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46They're a polite bunch.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Having a good time, aren't we?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50- Yeah.- Yes.- We spend a great time.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Another highlight of the tour is St Mary's and All Saints Church,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57burial place of many of the Princes of Gwynedd.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Now I'm going to tell you another Welsh joke now.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Two men standing in the churchyard, talking to each other.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12One says, "It's my wedding anniversary coming up."
0:33:14 > 0:33:1650 years.
0:33:17 > 0:33:23Other man says, "Are you going to do anything nice to celebrate?"
0:33:27 > 0:33:33"Well, when it was my 25th wedding anniversary,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37"I took the wife to London to visit her sister,
0:33:37 > 0:33:42"and now it's our 50th anniversary, I might go and fetch her back."
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Bring her back. On the 50th, bring her back.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00I think she's lost them there.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03It's difficult with a joke.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Just three hours after first arriving,
0:34:05 > 0:34:06the tourists have done Wales
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and it would appear that they have enjoyed themselves.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12How can I thank you in Welsh?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Diolch yn fawr.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15- Di...- Diolch.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Diolch.- Diolch yn fawr.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22- Ym mawr. Arigato. Thank you very much to you.- Diolch yn fawr.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- Diolch...- Fawr.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29There we go.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32It's been a short but sweet visit.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Happy! Thank you!
0:34:37 > 0:34:40They leave completely baffled by our jokes
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and with a unique take on Welsh history.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44You're welcome.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48And still wondering why Rhian's carrying a washing basket.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49Sayonara.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57For international visitors to the UK, Cardiff is
0:34:57 > 0:35:00one of their ten most popular cities.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03This summer, with many of the 2012 Olympic football matches
0:35:03 > 0:35:05being held in the capital,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07its profile will be higher than ever.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14So the city's crack cleansing team have gone into deep-clean mode.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Rose, you've missed a bottle and a can.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Team-mates Russell Davies and Rose Joseph are working hard to
0:35:21 > 0:35:24ensure that each and every part of the city centre looks its very best.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26You've got to have eyes everywhere.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28You've got to watch the brushes,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31make sure there's no obstacles in your way, lamp posts, bins.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34People will just step out from cars.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Even though the work can be tough,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39the cleansing squad have a real team spirit.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47For one team-mate, this is very much a family affair.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Working alongside her dad as a litter-picker
0:35:50 > 0:35:53is Russell's 19-year-old daughter, Sophie.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Well, I left school, and my dad said there was jobs going
0:35:56 > 0:36:00so I just signed up to the agency and that's how I got the job.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02She's never been late, thank God,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06otherwise I'd get the blame for it, for asking her to do the work.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08If I do something wrong then he's the first to tell me
0:36:08 > 0:36:11so I want to do right by him, kind of thing.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15For a girl, she's only 19, to do it is unusual.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18I think there's only three or four women out litter-picking
0:36:18 > 0:36:19and cleaning the streets.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25People do tend to, like, assume you're a bloke
0:36:25 > 0:36:27just because of the job you're doing.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29But I think that's just normal.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33They don't expect to see girls doing a man's job, really, do they?
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Well, I like to think that he's proud cos I've stuck it out
0:36:37 > 0:36:41and I've got to enjoy it and I wouldn't give it up now.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44I'd rather do this job than be stuck in an office or in a shop
0:36:44 > 0:36:47doing something that I completely hate.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48It's not a glamorous job though.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50But, at the end of day,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54if people didn't drop rubbish, people like me wouldn't have a job.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Every public area is given a thorough clean,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04from streets to parks and gardens.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Even Cardiff's public art has been given a good scrub
0:37:08 > 0:37:12under the watchful eye of team manager Juliet Gamlin.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14We've got some beautiful monuments in the city centre,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18but unfortunately, the seagulls like to rest on top of them.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20They all go up, do their business, and fly off.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22So it's a proper crusty now.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24There's the culprit, guilty as charged.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Cardiff has one of the largest colonies of urban nesting gulls
0:37:28 > 0:37:30in Britain, and it certainly shows.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Sir, could you walk this way, please? I don't want you to get wet.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36Excuse me, excuse me.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40People tend to sit here and feed the birds
0:37:40 > 0:37:44so that actually encourages them to come to this particular location.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Unfortunately, poor Mr Bevan suffers as a result.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Obviously, because it's a bronze statue,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54it takes a little bit of TLC, so it has to be cleaned by hand.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Only trouble is, his suit says, "Dry clean only."
0:37:58 > 0:38:00That's not so good then. It might shrink.
0:38:02 > 0:38:03Hopefully by the time that they finish,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07he will be back to his wonderful, gleaming glory again.
0:38:09 > 0:38:10That's looking lovely, Russ.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Much better, huge improvement.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19We just need somebody to stand here now, like a scarecrow,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21keeping the birds away for the next two weeks.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Some 100 miles away in rural Montgomeryshire,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35the curtain is about to rise on a horticultural attraction.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- I like your hat.- Oh, do you like it?
0:38:40 > 0:38:44I'm a bit hot, actually. I think I shall change to shorts any moment.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47Each summer, keen gardeners Dr Wolfgang Schaefer
0:38:47 > 0:38:49and his partner Kingsley George
0:38:49 > 0:38:53throw open their 24-acre garden to the public.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Running a garden like this and being open every Sunday is actually
0:38:57 > 0:39:01a bit like putting on an opera on stage permanently.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04- You are! Anyone who runs anything is an entertainer.- Yeah.
0:39:05 > 0:39:10The garden includes wild flowers, meadows, a bluebell woodland
0:39:10 > 0:39:12and a two and a half acre formal area
0:39:12 > 0:39:16complete with vistas, lawns and extensive borders.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22- And could you tell us what those are?- Those geraniums?
0:39:22 > 0:39:25No, these with the spikes?
0:39:25 > 0:39:30Oh, yes. Now, you've put me on the spot. I don't know.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33I don't know actually, I don't know the name.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Perhaps the most striking feature
0:39:35 > 0:39:38is Wolfgang's fantastic sculptural creations.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42This was my take on the cliffs of Eastbourne.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45It's limestone, all shaped by hand.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50Kingsley being a dentist, we have an endless supply of surgery gloves
0:39:50 > 0:39:54so I tend to shape all my structures with surgery gloves and limestone.
0:39:54 > 0:39:59It's partly to try and introduce a wilder, rocky element into
0:39:59 > 0:40:03the otherwise very tame and gentle Mid-Wales landscape.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Well, I've never really liked gardening.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10It's all Wolfgang's ambition and drive.
0:40:10 > 0:40:11I mean, he's German.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15What do you expect?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17They're a nation of do-ers.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20I think, actually, you're a bit shy now.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22You have influenced the garden quite a lot.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30We actually had a casting party. We got a few people together
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and got the moulds there and then cast it into the limestone.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40Everyone wants to do something that lives on, don't we?
0:40:40 > 0:40:43For some people, certainly in the past, it was your children.
0:40:43 > 0:40:48I never forget, my partner's mother, quite early,
0:40:48 > 0:40:52she said something slightly critical about spending money
0:40:52 > 0:40:56on the garden and I must have looked at her rather fiercely and she took
0:40:56 > 0:41:00my hand and said, "Wolf, I'm sorry. The garden is your baby, isn't it?"
0:41:02 > 0:41:05One thing I've always wanted was a tree.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10One of those relic trees you get in ancient holloways that are
0:41:10 > 0:41:14all moss-covered and gnarled and usually dead or half dead,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17but it was also originally to try and introduce
0:41:17 > 0:41:20maybe a slightly more sinister element into the garden,
0:41:20 > 0:41:24something dark, something covered with mosses.
0:41:24 > 0:41:29It hasn't quite worked yet. It's more funny than sinister, really.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32The fact that it has a face, or people tell me it has a face,
0:41:32 > 0:41:34is complete coincidence.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41The centrepiece of the garden, Wolfgang's pride and joy,
0:41:41 > 0:41:42is the grotto.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46- Volcanic? Is that volcanic rock? - It is actually, yes.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- It's from Iceland.- From Iceland? You're kidding.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Well, we didn't get it from Iceland. We got it from Liverpool Docks.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- But it comes from Iceland originally. - Oh, I see.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00When we built the grotto, there was a stage when I had reached
0:42:00 > 0:42:03the air-raid shelter stage with the concrete ceiling and I thought,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05"Well, what now?"
0:42:05 > 0:42:09And it was a good year and a half before we found the right material.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12It was Kingsley. It's very often Kingsley because he travels.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16I hardly ever leave this place other than going to work.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20And then, of course, when he travels he finds other things
0:42:20 > 0:42:24like the crystals and the lava rock. So he brought that along.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29I didn't expect him to have created such a vast garden.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32We have to think about how we can create some of it ourselves now.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- I want a grotto now! - I want a cup of tea first!
0:42:38 > 0:42:42People always love it here. They're very complimentary.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44And we can't judge it ourselves.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47I think that's one of the reasons why we open it, really,
0:42:47 > 0:42:49because I'm a sucker for flattery.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Wolfgang and Kingsley's bond with their garden is deep
0:42:52 > 0:42:55and one which they plan to make permanent.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Quite an early time, I had the idea to be buried here
0:42:58 > 0:43:03because I've always thought, A - we want to stay here till we die
0:43:03 > 0:43:08and also because it adds a bit of history, doesn't it?
0:43:08 > 0:43:11We're going to build a tower on top of the meadow
0:43:11 > 0:43:14and in the base of the tower, planners permitting,
0:43:14 > 0:43:18we'll have a little crypt. And that will be the grave.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23So we can keep watch over the garden for many years to come.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26As the day draws to an end and their visitors leave the garden,
0:43:26 > 0:43:30the couple reflect on another successful open day.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32It's been another Sunday well spent.
0:43:32 > 0:43:38- In German, eine Inszenierung. A performance.- A performance. Yeah.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41- But the main actor is the garden, in the end.- Yes, of course.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43It's never us. It's the garden.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52More than two thirds of weddings are held in the summer
0:43:52 > 0:43:56and for Wales' hotel and catering business, it's the busiest season.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00In deepest West Wales at Hammet House,
0:44:00 > 0:44:02it's Dan and Michelle's big day.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06With their reputation at stake,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10Owen and Philippa are keen to ensure the event is a success.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15In this area of Wales, people talk, word gets around,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17the grapevine is very, very active,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20so, yeah, we've got to make sure, we've got to do our best
0:44:20 > 0:44:24to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Good colour.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Everything is checked.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Oh, perfect.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34From the welcoming Pimm's drinks to the Hammet House signature canapes
0:44:34 > 0:44:36that chef Ben's whipping up in the kitchen.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41We're going to start plating up in a second
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- then obviously it will take us about 15, 20 minutes.- OK.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51I'm not sure what they're going to think of the flowers we're doing.
0:44:53 > 0:44:54As the wedding party arrives,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57the Hammet House team springs into action.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02What will the hungry guests make of the fancy finger food?
0:45:07 > 0:45:08Well, I was a little wary.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12I wanted to make sure it was edible before I ate it.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Not sure that it tasted it, but it looked good.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Beetroot and goat's cheese.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Oh, I don't like that! That was horrible!
0:45:27 > 0:45:29So far, the event's running to schedule.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34Smashing. OK, that lovely, cheesy smile you've got there. Well done.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37In the next few minutes we're going to start taking all the buffet out
0:45:37 > 0:45:40and putting it on the table which is at the top end of the ballroom.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Formal photographs done, it's time for the wedding party to take in
0:45:44 > 0:45:46the new Hammet House decor
0:45:46 > 0:45:49while the hog roast and buffet is prepared.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Yummy.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52And opinion is mixed.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54- I think it's really nice. - Not the plastic stuff.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57- Not the see-through plastic, maybe not.- No, no.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02It's a bit more contemporary now since we've been here last.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07I don't like the retro look with it, I don't think it matches. No, sorry!
0:46:07 > 0:46:10That's my opinion, you asked me for my opinion.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15I've just heard a few witterings of, "This is Llechryd, not London,"
0:46:15 > 0:46:18and that sort of comment, so, there we are.
0:46:18 > 0:46:19It doesn't really bother us.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22We like it when people have got strong opinions
0:46:22 > 0:46:25cos if you're not getting people to react, obviously you're just
0:46:25 > 0:46:27doing something middle of the road,
0:46:27 > 0:46:29so we wouldn't want to be doing that.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30Monkey!
0:46:30 > 0:46:33To keep Dan and Michelle's wedding day on track,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Owen's volunteered himself as master of ceremonies.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38I'm just looking for the groom at the moment.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41Not an easy task with this laid-back couple.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Ladies and gentlemen,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46if you'd like to make your way through to the ballroom,
0:46:46 > 0:46:47the hog is served.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51- OK, where's Dan gone now? - I have no idea.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53The meal is ready but, before it can be served,
0:46:53 > 0:46:57the bride and groom need to be formally introduced to their guests.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00Dan's gone for a little wander to say hello to everybody.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02And Dan and Michelle keep wandering off.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Now Michelle's gone outside.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10Oh, no, photographer. We need to get a move on.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13If you can grab your wife, get her in.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Ladies and gentlemen,
0:47:16 > 0:47:20if you can all be upstanding for the bride and groom.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Ah, finally!
0:47:28 > 0:47:32At last the wedding party can tuck into chef Ben's buffet,
0:47:32 > 0:47:36which hopefully will be to everyone's taste.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Caramelised onions in there, couscous in the oven,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42corn on the cob is down there, tomato salad out there already.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Ben's an experienced chef, well used to busy kitchens,
0:47:45 > 0:47:49but with Hammet House's reputation riding on this event,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Philippa is keen to check that everything is under control.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54Is the bread baked off?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57- The bread is going to go into the oven in a second.- Right. OK.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59We need all the bread out straightaway.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01We don't want to be running back and forth for bread.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04And what's that going on, do you know? On or in, to go out.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08We haven't thought about it yet, to be honest with you.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10Are those accounted for?
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Yes, that's going to be couscous and some leaves.
0:48:14 > 0:48:15Hello.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18Oh, dear.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Despite Philippa's anxiety,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25the happy couple are pleased with Ben's efforts.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30- Everyone's been impressed with the food.- Well, fair play, he's made it.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34Particularly Dan, whose request for a Black Forest gateau
0:48:34 > 0:48:35has been granted.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37We'll have to go over and sample it on our table
0:48:37 > 0:48:40and we'll see how it tastes afterwards.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44MUSIC: "Combine Harvester" by The Wurzels
0:48:44 > 0:48:48The evening wears on with no hitches and all parties seem happy.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Everybody's had a nice few drinks, I think.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58A bit of merriment going on, a bit of dancing. Yeah, a good night, I think.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02But in the kitchen, all is not well.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05Yes, just extremely tired
0:49:05 > 0:49:09and I'm quite glad that's it over, to be honest with you.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10Ben's not happy.
0:49:11 > 0:49:17Some more demolished buffet plates, all going down very well.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Oh, great, that's great news.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21One slice of Black Forest gateau left.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Oh, brilliant, I'm glad they enjoyed that.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31That's probably the most she ever talks to me, to be honest with you.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35I'm going to put these away.
0:49:38 > 0:49:39Oh, dear.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Dan and Michelle's wedding has been a big success.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Despite mixed reviews about the hotel's
0:49:54 > 0:49:56uncompromisingly modern interior,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59chef Ben's catering won the wedding party over
0:49:59 > 0:50:03and the word has spread on the local grapevine.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04Another wedding booking?
0:50:04 > 0:50:07- That was a wedding viewing this afternoon.- Oh, right.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11But it's not all good news.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17We're really pleased with the food especially. Ben did a great job.
0:50:17 > 0:50:18But now he reveals to us
0:50:18 > 0:50:21that he is going to be leaving us, unfortunately.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Just as we're coming into a busy wedding season,
0:50:24 > 0:50:30we're going to be losing our head chef, which is a huge problem.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34So it's just the next hurdle, basically.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37PHONE RINGS Good afternoon, Hammet House.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48As storm clouds gather over Hammet House, in Barry, South Wales,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Linda's Gavin and Stacey tour is reaching its climax.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Right then, everyone, this is Stacey's house.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Next door is where Doris lived
0:51:05 > 0:51:09and right opposite there is Uncle Bryn's house.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12He used to come out of the window there and wave, you know,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15when he was talcing himself off after a shower.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18If you'd like to come in, please feel free to take a look around.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20For the keen fans who've travelled hundreds,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23if not thousands of miles to see these filming locations,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26no detail is too small to be overlooked.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30When you get out the kitchen, the original omelette pan is
0:51:30 > 0:51:33still there if you want to cook an omelette for a photo shot.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35You can go in Stacey's bedroom,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37it's exactly as the film set.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Unfortunately we can't go to Gavin's house
0:51:40 > 0:51:42cos that's in Dinas Powys, not Billericay.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46It's a cul-de-sac and they just didn't want us there, really.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Apparently Nessa drove her truck in, reversed it in one day,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52and knocked something over.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55So we don't go there.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I'd like to thank you all for coming on the tour today.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00We'll finish off outside Marco's
0:52:00 > 0:52:05and around to Nessa's Slots, where we'll have our raffle.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08In the five years since the series was first shown,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12Stacey's house has been visited by over 7,000 TV tourists.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15A recent survey of Gavin and Stacey viewers found that
0:52:15 > 0:52:17over three million of them
0:52:17 > 0:52:20wanted to visit Barry after seeing the sitcom.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I'm just going to see if Gav and Stace are there.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27I've come up from Cornwall and that's five hours on the train.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29That's far enough for me anyway.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32And you've come via Turkey.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33Cornwall, Turkey, to here.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Fabulous, thank you. Life-size models.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40But if you stand by them and give them a cwtch
0:52:40 > 0:52:43and blur your eyes a bit, it looks like the real thing.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47I've come from Baltimore. This is actually my second time here.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50The show isn't super-popular in the United States
0:52:50 > 0:52:52but it does have kind of a cult following.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55I wouldn't have known that Barry existed
0:52:55 > 0:52:56if it weren't for Gavin and Stacey.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59We've got the Marco's Cafe behind as well.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01It's been really good, yeah, really good.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- The house was really good, visiting the house.- Yeah, that was nice.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06It was a shame about the weather,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09- but other than that it was brilliant, really.- Yeah.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12I think it went really well. The bus didn't break down, the music box
0:53:12 > 0:53:16didn't blow up and no-one fell off the coach, so we're fine.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Oh, that was a good one.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Summer is festival season in Wales,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29with hundreds of events, from local to international,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31taking place across the country.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34For event caterers like Jonathan Williams...
0:53:34 > 0:53:36- That one's ready. - ..founder and owner of Cafe Mor,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39a mobile catering business specialising in
0:53:39 > 0:53:43fresh Welsh seafood, it's their busiest season.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- WEATHER REPORT:- The heaviest rain is likely
0:53:45 > 0:53:48across North, Mid and West Wales.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50But the weather isn't playing ball.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55On North Wales' Llyn Peninsula, Wakestock, Europe's largest
0:53:55 > 0:53:58wakeboard and music festival, is off to a muddy start.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01- WEATHER REPORT:- We could see two inches of rain
0:54:01 > 0:54:04so the Met Office has an amber warning in place.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08This will be the Cafe Mor team's
0:54:08 > 0:54:10second big Welsh festival of the summer.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14They've never catered it before and Jonathan was worried about
0:54:14 > 0:54:17how his food and prices would go down with the young audience.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22Quiet. Didn't take much. We take more at St David's Day market.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Seriously. And apparently all the stallholders are the same.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27People, have been coming to the store, saying,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30"Oh, God, this looks different. We'll come back tomorrow."
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Or they've flung 12p on the counter, saying,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35"Can you do us anything for 12p?" No! We can't!
0:54:40 > 0:54:43It looks like Jonathan's fears were well-founded.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Worse, he's been unexpectedly delayed.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49So for the last 24 hours, his mum has had to hold the fort.
0:54:49 > 0:54:54He won the British Street Food Award last year, and one of the prizes
0:54:54 > 0:54:57was a pitch at the Olympic Village, the Athletes' Olympic Village,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00which was absolutely fantastic, but it's like a double-edged sword.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03It's so much work, and they've just finished
0:55:03 > 0:55:07making about 17,500 wraps in three weeks, ready for the Olympics.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11So at least he's got that done, and he's really sort of happy.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14So that's added to the pressure as well this year, this summer,
0:55:14 > 0:55:21and also him, and his partner had a baby, 17th of June.
0:55:21 > 0:55:22Meet Josie.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Oh, she's gorgeous. She's lovely. What a lovely name.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28She looks the spitting image of our Jonathan when he was born.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32I'm a yia-yia - Greek for granny. So I'm called Yia-Yia.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39- Hi guys!- Hello!- You all right? - You all right?- Yeah.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- How's it been going then? - Slow.- Is it?
0:55:41 > 0:55:43We've sold a few cakes, that's why they're out.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- What's that placed called? Pwllheli? - Pwllheli.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Yeah, it's packed. They're all in ASDA, loading up.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52So, I don't think it's going to be...
0:55:52 > 0:55:53I think it's going to be slow.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56You ought to try and do a meal deal.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59A mini-wrap and a cake for four quid.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Yeah, Wakestock!
0:56:03 > 0:56:05In a last-ditch attempt to attract more customers,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Jonathan takes his mum's advice
0:56:07 > 0:56:11and tweaks his menu to appeal to the teenagers' tight budget.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16But there's still no takers.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19This is the worst I've ever seen at a festival.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22It is the worst I've ever seen.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25It's because it's a completely different demographic.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27They're all kids and, you know, when I was a kid,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29I was quite happy drinking all day and dancing
0:56:29 > 0:56:33and the majority of people here, that's what they want to do.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38As night falls, Jonathan decides enough is enough.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Well, put it this way, I'll probably do better at a local market
0:56:42 > 0:56:45for £15 a pitch and not what I pay for here,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47so decided to cut our losses, really.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50There's a big seafood festival down in Aberaeron tomorrow,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54so we've got to be down in Aberaeron for eight. It's not ideal.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57I'm knackered, I want to go to bed but I think we've decided,
0:56:57 > 0:57:01you know, we'll break out while we can, like, you know.
0:57:01 > 0:57:02Lesson learned. Wakestock.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09SHE SINGS
0:57:12 > 0:57:15In Holyhead, the American cruise ship passengers have
0:57:15 > 0:57:17finished their whirlwind tour of North Wales.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22We loved every minute of it.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26And the castles - awesome, absolutely awesome!
0:57:26 > 0:57:29And we saw that "blwdwblwdwblwdwp" town.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33And some lovely people.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39Everybody was just so friendly, so nice.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41Just really a nice place to visit.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44I could live in Wales.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47All right. That would be what I would plan to do.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Now they're off to "do" Ireland.
0:57:53 > 0:57:54Next time...
0:57:54 > 0:57:56- Come on, GB.- You're off.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58..Olympic fever sweeps Cardiff...
0:57:59 > 0:58:01..a tour guide turns gladiator...
0:58:01 > 0:58:05My name is Achillea and I am ready for my seven fights this week.
0:58:05 > 0:58:06You're scaring me.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08Follow me, please.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10..Bryngwyn Hall hosts an etiquette course...
0:58:10 > 0:58:13They learn how to project themselves.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Don't rush up the stairs. Walk like ladies.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20..and Hammet House gets reviewed.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Oh, you've got to keep that level.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25They've still got the smelly carpets.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28I was just saying it feels quite schizophrenic.