0:00:12 > 0:00:15We're back at the very edge of our isles.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18But now we're on a whole new kind of adventure.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22A unique great guide to our coast.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But this is a guide beyond anything you'll find
0:00:28 > 0:00:30in your average tourist brochure.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34A guide crammed with local knowledge,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38amazing discoveries and stunning, secret spots.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Coast and her expert crew have spent over ten years
0:00:43 > 0:00:47navigating this ever-changing natural wonder.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55And now we're bringing it all together, and more,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57to give you the ultimate guide to our coast.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We've selected eight stretches of British coast.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08North, South, East, West.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And some of the best bits in between.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Each week we'll be taking to the sea in a remarkable
0:01:17 > 0:01:19array of boats and ships.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23We'll have a completely fresh perspective on the coast.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26We'll seek out charismatic characters...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Andy, fancy seeing you here!
0:01:29 > 0:01:30..momentous events...
0:01:30 > 0:01:33This is Britain's most deadly shoreline.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35..secret spots,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and surprising stories.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40There's no denying that there is a charge to be had
0:01:40 > 0:01:41from holding something like this.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46A brand-new view of our coast,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50with all the inside info you need to enjoy these shorelines like a local.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Haul away, sailors, haul away.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57This time I'm heading for Wales.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03This is Coast.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05The Great Guide.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Stunning southern Wales.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41A wild delight.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Towering cliffs,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45beckoning beaches
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and rolling surf.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Perfect for extreme sports.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54A coastline book-ended by contrasting cities.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58A capital on the sea, Cardiff and its marina,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and, just over 100 miles away,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03St Davids is Britain's smallest city.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Though, of course, there is a cathedral.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12The Coast experts have teased out the shoreline's secrets.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16That's unbelievable. I can't believe anybody managed to build that.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Digging deep into every aspect of its culture, nature and history.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Our new mission brings you the very best of those breathtaking
0:03:25 > 0:03:29discoveries, as we get to grips with what gives this coast
0:03:29 > 0:03:30its wild appeal.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34This is our great guide to southern Wales.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The new journey I'll be making around this coast is a beauty.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to be precise.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47The Gower Peninsula.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Harnessing the wind, I'll sail around its south coast,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54making for the golden curve of Oxwich Bay.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56From then on, it'll all be down to muscle power
0:03:56 > 0:03:59as I kayak to Port Eynon,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and journey's end will be Penclawdd on the Burry Estuary.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08En route I'll be compiling our great Welsh guide from a wider canvas of
0:04:08 > 0:04:10stories that stretches all the way
0:04:10 > 0:04:13from Cardiff in the east to St Davids
0:04:13 > 0:04:16on the furthest tip of western Wales.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21My own journey starts at the gateway to Gower - Mumbles.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Two outstanding offshore features supposedly give Mumbles
0:04:29 > 0:04:31its unusual name.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35The twin islands over there were christened by French sailors
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Marmelles, which is French for breasts.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Marmelles became Mumbles.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43No comment.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I'm here to find out if I've got what it takes to master a must-do
0:04:49 > 0:04:51watersport in our great guide
0:04:51 > 0:04:54and to succeed I'm going to have to get to grips
0:04:54 > 0:04:57with a boat that's Celtic to its core.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00It's action stations time.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I'm casting off in a traditional craft that is making a bit of a
0:05:04 > 0:05:06comeback with the local community.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Hi, guys.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10The Mumbles Amateur Rowing Club
0:05:10 > 0:05:14is going to put me through my paces in a Celtic longboat.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I've never seen anything like it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Where does it originate from?
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Well, this is a traditional kind of boat design.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's actually based on the old Irish currach.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24But there are lots of different kinds of longboats.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Sea rowing competitions have taken place in south-west Wales for
0:05:28 > 0:05:33centuries but the sport was revolutionised 40 years ago when
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Pembrokeshire boat builder Des Harris crafted a longboat
0:05:36 > 0:05:40that could cope with the steep waves of this wild coast.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It became the template for countless copies,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45known as Pembrokeshire longboats.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51And today Wales boasts 29 sea rowing clubs.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I used to row, I mean, reasonably seriously.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55But it looked nothing like that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58It was like a sort of fibreglass pencil.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59Oh, yeah, that is the sort of river boats,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01they are much more about finesse and technique.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04This is quite a tubby kind of boat, really.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And it's quite a rough art, really.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09You're out in the sea against the waves.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I think it's wonderful.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15But I think river rowers think it's a bit of a rough old sport.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17But we love it.
0:06:17 > 0:06:18Each to their own.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I feel a little bit scared getting in with you rough experts.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- Sea dogs.- Sea dogs.- Yeah.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So where have you put me? I'm stroke side, by the way.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- You're going to be rowing in number three.- Number three, OK, fine.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31So let's go.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35This is unlike any boat I've rowed before so I need to pick
0:06:35 > 0:06:37up a few tips and fast.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- Lean back more.- Yeah.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44That is better.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It's almost like ten to and ten past the hour.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52If we leant like this we'd have got kicked out of the boat.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- Better?- Yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- I still feel I'm not leaning forward enough.- No, that's good.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Better, definitely.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01My oar's going a bit deep.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Lean.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03I'm deep.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05Two.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11After Meg's masterclass, it's time for a challenge.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Can I unleash my inner Celt
0:07:12 > 0:07:16in a race against an experienced longboat crew?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19These are hardened rowers whose idea of a good time is a jaunt
0:07:19 > 0:07:21across the Irish Sea,
0:07:22 > 0:07:2490 miles, in one of these.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Three, two, one!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Row!
0:07:32 > 0:07:33And one!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Two!
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Three!
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Four!
0:07:38 > 0:07:40I'm forgetting to feather.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Sorry, I forgot to feather.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- Are we winning? - Yes, we're winning!
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Bang.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Bang.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Oh!
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Are we winning significantly?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Keep going!
0:08:07 > 0:08:10When can we wind down?
0:08:10 > 0:08:11HOOTER BLOWS
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Easy oars, easy oars.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19That was what's called a decisive win in rowing.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- Two lengths?- Yeah, definitely.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Almost rude, but what can you do?
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Longboat rowing is only one of the watersports that draw thousands of
0:08:30 > 0:08:31visitors to Wales each year.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Atlantic surf makes these shores a mecca for world-class canoeists
0:08:38 > 0:08:39and surfers.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43But it's not all about the waves.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46The wide, lonely expanse of
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Pembrokeshire's Freshwater West beach
0:08:48 > 0:08:52whips up the ultimate challenge for kite surfers.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57World champion Kirsty Jones
0:08:57 > 0:09:01gave us a kite surfing masterclass for our great guide.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's my favourite beach to come surfing, really.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05It's a world-class surfing break.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09OK, here we go.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And we're going to hit the wave on this one.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Kite surfing is using a big power kite
0:09:18 > 0:09:20to pull you along on the water.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24And you can do tricks, you can do jumps.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Going to do a little grab now.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28You can just cruise along on the water.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30It's just an amazing sport.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I'm going to go for a forward loop now.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Freshwater West is just amazing when it's like this.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Wind power is the best way to appreciate
0:10:01 > 0:10:04the outstanding beauty of this coast.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I'm leaving the calm waters of Swansea Bay and setting sail
0:10:08 > 0:10:10around the Gower Peninsula.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15I'm headed for Oxwich Bay on a boat that's a piece of living history.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Built in 1909,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21the Olga plied her trade around the Bristol Channel for decades,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25taking out pilots to guide ships into port.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28Time was money,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30so the Olga was built for speed
0:10:30 > 0:10:34but in rough seas that can make for a choppy ride.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I've got to be honest, I'm yet to fully find my sea legs.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42But surely there's no better companion
0:10:42 > 0:10:44on our great coastal guide.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And no better way to get up close and personal with these waters.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Atlantic currents collide with the Bristol Channel,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55washing in waters abundant with nutrients.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Rich pickings for dolphins.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And Wales is one of the best places in Europe to spot them,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04if you know where to look.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Miranda Krestovnikoff went out with a local.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Today we're searching for short-beaked common dolphins,
0:11:15 > 0:11:16who come here in spring and summer.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- Hiya.- Hi.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Any sign of anything yet?- No, nothing as yet. We're still looking.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Dolphin!
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Suddenly, in seconds, we're surrounded by about 20 dolphins,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37checking us out and riding the bow wave.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Oh, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46There's one just on the bow and another one.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50This is fantastic.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52So we can see them swimming, we can see them moving,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54we can see them interacting.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Why do dolphins come here? What's so special about the waters here?
0:12:02 > 0:12:07It's an incredibly rich area for food and like all breeding animals
0:12:07 > 0:12:08they need the food.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And if the food's there then they're going to thrive.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Over the years, we're coming to the conclusion
0:12:15 > 0:12:16that this is a nursery area.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18So, yeah, important.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Probably important in world terms.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Usually out dolphin watching you're lucky to get five or ten minutes
0:12:26 > 0:12:29with them but this group were brilliant and they stayed with us
0:12:29 > 0:12:30for nearly an hour.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37But with each encounter, it's becoming clearer that these
0:12:37 > 0:12:41waters are crucial for families of dolphins raising their young.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And it's a real privilege to watch them do it.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52The winds off Gower can turn a sedate sail
0:12:52 > 0:12:55into more of a roller-coaster.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58But whatever the weather, this untamed peninsula
0:12:58 > 0:13:01takes pride of place in our great guide,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05as Britain's first-ever Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10National Trust ranger Kathryn Thomas has the local knowledge.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14There can't be any more wild way of experiencing the Gower than this.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17But you can just about make out through cliffs behind us now,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19coming into view,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22one of the Gower's sort of iconic beaches.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Let me get this right, it's an AONB.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28That's right, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31And Gower was the very first one in the UK.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34So we're celebrating our 60th anniversary this year.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41On a clear day it's a microcosm of contrasting landscapes...
0:13:43 > 0:13:45..squeezed into a pocket of land
0:13:45 > 0:13:49no more than 70 square miles in size.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So we've got the dunes and the cliffs and the marsh
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and the woodland and our famous Gower beaches.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01We're a bit like the sort of little brother
0:14:01 > 0:14:03of the National Parks, basically.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07There are restrictions on planning, things like that.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09There is a very timeless aspect,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and especially looking onto it from here because you see no
0:14:12 > 0:14:16development, no cars, not even a telegraph pole.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Yeah, that's what it's all about,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19it's keeping it like that.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23We have visitors that come to Gower and they came as a child
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and they're 80 years old now
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and they come and they say, "It's not changed."
0:14:27 > 0:14:32And looking out today, it's a very uncompromising landscape, isn't it?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36You know, the kind of dreich clouds
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- sitting right down on top of the cliff.- Yeah.- It's unforgiving.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44It is, although... Well, we have picked a special day today!
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It's interesting to see it from this perspective, though.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50There's just some slightly terrifying looking caves.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51KATHRYN LAUGHS
0:14:53 > 0:14:56This is Coast's great guide to southern Wales.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00On my journey around the Gower Peninsula,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I'm heading for the tranquillity of Oxwich Bay.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It's there that I'm meant to spend a night under canvas,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10hop out feeling fresh as a daisy and plop myself into a kayak,
0:15:10 > 0:15:11from which, I'm told,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I'm going to get the best views of a Welsh stunner,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Worm's Head.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20This is a coast of true contrasts.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Millions are drawn to its natural beauty.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25What they may not know is that it nestles next
0:15:25 > 0:15:28to some pretty heavy industry.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Communities here have been created by a hunger for natural resources.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Copper, steel, natural gas -
0:15:40 > 0:15:42they've all seen fortunes ebb and flow.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48The South Wales coast is rich in minerals and fossil fuels.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Its geology has shaped its history, from the coal seams
0:15:52 > 0:15:55of Glamorganshire to the natural harbours of Pembrokeshire.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00We went time travelling for our great guide,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02beginning in the 19th century,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06when Wales was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08What helped put it there was copper.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13Swansea once produced two thirds of the entire world's supply.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Mark Horton discovered how this city's copper
0:16:17 > 0:16:20forged one of the greatest victories in British maritime history.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27200 years ago, Swansea's copper was in demand.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28Who was after it?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30The Royal Navy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Hello, David.- Hello, Mark.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- Croeso y Abertawe.- Oh, fantastic.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38David Jenkins knows the story of the city's copper-bottomed deal
0:16:38 > 0:16:41with Nelson's Navy.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46This is what gave Nelson's Navy massive tactical advantages.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- Fantastic.- It's a sheet of copper ore from the hull of HMS Victory.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53You can see here Vivian & Sons, Swansea.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Look, I can see. Look, and a number, 2802.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00That's right, yes. Copper ore and obviously copper itself, too,
0:17:00 > 0:17:01was very, very valuable
0:17:01 > 0:17:04but its value was not so much monetary as tactical.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Indeed, the manoeuvring that took place before the very
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Battle Of Trafalgar owed a great deal of its success
0:17:10 > 0:17:13to the fact that Nelson's ships had this on their bottoms.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And it means that no weeds grow on the hull of your ship,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19the water slips much more quickly over the hull of the ship
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and therefore it gives the ship excellent manoeuvrability.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Swansea's dominance of the world copper trade
0:17:27 > 0:17:30meant that the Royal Navy
0:17:30 > 0:17:33had copper-bottomed boats but the French didn't.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Swansea was nicknamed Copperopolis.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Further along these waters,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51another industrial powerhouse found fame to rival Swansea
0:17:51 > 0:17:53in the 20th century.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Its very name, Port Talbot,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00a clue to how crucial the sea was to its existence.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Built on the coast, where iron ore could be easily unloaded,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08a Welsh engineering marvel sprung up - the Port Talbot steelworks.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13That, too, goes into our great guide.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Four years ago, I investigated.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20So how do you build a steelworks on something as soft
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and as shifting as this?
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Engineer David French is going to let me in on the secret,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31using bricks and sticks.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34So how do you get around this problem of building on soft sand?
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Well, what we need are deep foundations called piles.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41What we're doing is pushing the pile through the sand,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43through the thick layer of peat,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47down into this secure founding stratum.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49This is the clay, sticky bit?
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Yeah, this would be a mixture of stiff clay, gravels and sand.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55And that's going to hold the still in place.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- That's it, you've got it.- I see.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01So can we replicate what was once done here at Port Talbot?
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Well, hopefully we can, Tess, yeah.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Let's try.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07HE GROANS I think I'm hitting some sticky clay.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Yeah, right, now hopefully we've got our stilts in
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and we can put our building on top.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Yeah. Do you want to have a go?
0:19:16 > 0:19:17I do, yes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20And another one.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22So who says you can't build on sand?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Yes, it can be done.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28How many of these piles were driven into the site here at Port Talbot?
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Well, amazingly, 33,000 of these piles were installed
0:19:32 > 0:19:34across the site.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Work on the steel plant began in 1947,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42part of rebuilding Britain after the war.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Boys have been forged into men here since the early 1950s
0:19:48 > 0:19:52when steel first rolled out over the sand.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The steady stream of resources flowed into the plant.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01With cargo carriers getting bigger,
0:20:01 > 0:20:07in the mid-1960s a new deepwater harbour began construction.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12The days when Port Talbot was powered by Welsh coal
0:20:12 > 0:20:14are long gone.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21This was once the biggest steelworks in Europe...
0:20:23 > 0:20:25..and Wales's largest employer.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31It now faces an uncertain future in an unpredictable global market.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35The sun has set on the golden age of Welsh industry.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Today, a very different fuel flows in from 7,000 miles away,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46shipped into a brand-new terminal at Milford Haven.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52This energy success story goes into our guide.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Nick Crane was there right at the start to witness the birth
0:20:56 > 0:20:59of an industrial heavyweight.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Here in Milford Haven they'll soon be importing natural gas by ship.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10To a geographer like me, this is a ria, a flooded valley,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13but to shipping it's one of the deepest and finest
0:21:13 > 0:21:15natural harbours in the world.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17By the end of 2007,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21some of the world's biggest ships should be navigating their way
0:21:21 > 0:21:23to this pier,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26coming all the way from Qatar on the Arabian Gulf.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Transporting Qatar's gas 7,000 miles to us
0:21:31 > 0:21:34relies on a remarkable idea.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Turn the gas into liquid.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40This refrigeration plant concentrates the gas
0:21:40 > 0:21:43down into liquid by supercooling it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:4914 supertankers are being specially built to keep the natural gas
0:21:49 > 0:21:52insulated so that it stays liquid on its trip from Qatar.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56When natural gas is super-chilled,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59its volume shrinks by 600 times
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and this makes it economic to ship.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08So our gas will arrive here in Milford Haven as super-cold liquid.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12It's then got to be kept chilled to store it as a liquid.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15From the bottom of the site,
0:22:15 > 0:22:20these tanks didn't look much but up close they are absolutely massive.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Each storage tank in the Pembrokeshire National Park
0:22:29 > 0:22:32is big enough to contain the Albert Hall,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and there are five of them.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43These tanks act like giant Thermos flasks.
0:22:43 > 0:22:50They'll be full of liquid natural gas stored at minus 160 Celsius.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54When it's warmed up again it will expand 600 times,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57making huge amounts of gas ready for us to use.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Today, South Hook gas terminal is in full flow.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Over 500 of the world's biggest liquid natural gas tankers
0:23:09 > 0:23:12have docked here with a helping hand from the astonishing geography
0:23:12 > 0:23:15of the Milford Haven waterway.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18The flooding of this Ice Age valley 11,000 years ago
0:23:18 > 0:23:22created the deep estuary that today means this terminal
0:23:22 > 0:23:27can supply up to a fifth of the UK's natural gas needs.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Where copper and steel once flowed out of South Wales to the world,
0:23:32 > 0:23:33gas now flows in.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35As the tide of history turns,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39this coast remains a vital gateway connecting Britain
0:23:39 > 0:23:41to the rest of the world.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52On my journey around this southern Welsh shoreline
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I've reached Oxwich Bay.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57From there I'll head for Port Eynon beach
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and secrets hidden in the sands.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04I'm hoping for a close encounter with seals at Worm's Head before
0:24:04 > 0:24:08trying my hand at an ancient art on the Burry Estuary.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13For now, the weather has somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for camping.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18People say the Gower Peninsula has its own microclimate and I certainly
0:24:18 > 0:24:21feel I've experienced something of that in the last 24 hours.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I really wanted to show you some of the cracking views from the beaches
0:24:24 > 0:24:27here but I'm afraid no can do this evening.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Mind you, this unpredictable Welsh weather hasn't stopped generations
0:24:33 > 0:24:36of day-trippers reaching for their buckets and spades
0:24:36 > 0:24:38when summer rolls around.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45There's some great old footage here.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Even a cheeky holiday snog.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50A real reminder, in fact, that the beaches here in southern Wales
0:24:50 > 0:24:52have long been the go-to destination for miners
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and their families really in need of a holiday.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56SCREAMING
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And when it comes to traditional Welsh seaside resorts,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05there can only be one choice for our guide -
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Barry Island.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11In its heyday, over 100,000 visitors
0:25:11 > 0:25:14would come to this beach on a bank holiday.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Neil Oliver discovered why.
0:25:17 > 0:25:23The annual trips organised by the pits and by the Sunday schools
0:25:23 > 0:25:25of chapel and church were THE highlight of the year.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30Over 50 years ago, Jane Ward didn't come to the beach alone,
0:25:30 > 0:25:31her whole village came, too.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Hello, Jane. - Hi, Neil. How are you?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- I'm well.- Good.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37What's with the giant numbers on the wall?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Well, when we used to come on trips,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43people arranged to meet on the beach and we would say we were arriving
0:25:43 > 0:25:46at different times, we would meet at a certain number.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49So, is either of these two children you?
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- Yes, here.- Fantastic.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Brilliant. How did you get here from the valleys?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58By train, steam train.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02So imagine now, we were 250 Sunday schoolchildren,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05a mass exodus from the village.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08So you travelled together and you colonised one patch of beach
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- and you all stayed together the whole day?- More or less.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13And in the course of the afternoon,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16we'd start singing our choruses from Sunday school.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18One would start and then another group would join in
0:26:18 > 0:26:24and before long you'd have the whole beach singing.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27# Each little flower that opens... #
0:26:27 > 0:26:30After a day of sea, sand and community singing,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32they were ready for all the fun of the fair.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It's no job for a grown man.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44ELECTRONIC MUSIC
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Today, Barrybados, as the locals call it,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00is enjoying a 21st-century renaissance.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Barry Island is now the only beach in Wales that offers free Wi-Fi
0:27:04 > 0:27:09and the Gavin And Stacey effect is helping pull in
0:27:09 > 0:27:14over 350,000 tourists, all searching for a spot of Welsh sunshine.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Good luck with that.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35This is Coast's great guide to southern Wales.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Our expert team has scoured the Welsh shore for over ten years
0:27:40 > 0:27:45in search of hidden stories, but if you were on a whistle-stop tour,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47what are the unmissable sights you must see
0:27:47 > 0:27:50to say you've experienced this coast?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54This is our flying visit to southern Wales.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Many Welsh adventures begin here,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07with a bridge or two across the Bristol Channel.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Within half an hour,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17the familiar landmarks of Cardiff and its historic bay draw into view.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Just down the coast is St Donat's,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26a medieval castle rebuilt by the real-life Citizen Kane...
0:28:27 > 0:28:29..William Randolph Hearst.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36In truth, Hearst wasn't just a lover of history, he was a lover,
0:28:36 > 0:28:37a man with a mistress.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41So, a little Welsh hideaway a few thousand miles from home
0:28:41 > 0:28:43suddenly starts to make sense.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47The Kenfig dune system is here.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55Buried beneath it is an entire medieval village and castle
0:28:55 > 0:28:56swallowed by the shifting sands.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Then, of course, there is Gower's stunning shoreline,
0:29:03 > 0:29:04right where I am now.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10The limestone cliffs of Culver Hole hide a medieval dovecote
0:29:10 > 0:29:11that Nick swung by to see.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16As front doors go, this is fairly inaccessible.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19I've never seen anything quite like it.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21And when it comes to beaches,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Wales has got some of the finest on the planet.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Rhossili beach on Gower's western edge is Britain's best
0:29:29 > 0:29:31and in the world's top ten.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36There's even a little bit of England in this bit of Wales,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Tenby, for those who like their tourism genteel.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Further on, the coast twists and turns as majestic cliffs
0:29:46 > 0:29:48and sandy coves dominate the coastline.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54Hidden in a cleft of these cliffs is an historical treasure,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57the unique house of worship that is St Govan's chapel.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03By now, we're firmly in the Wild West of Wales,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07St Brides Bay and the island paradise of Skomer,
0:30:07 > 0:30:09a treat for twitchers.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13And at the far end of the bay,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16the most westerly point in mainland Wales,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20a spiritual haven, St Davids and its magnificent cathedral.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25But if you only do the unmissable sights,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28then you're missing so much more.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Follow us for the fuller picture.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37On my journey around Gower,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40I've reached the shimmering waters of Oxwich Bay.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45I'm preparing to set off in a back-to-basics boat,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49the best way to get up close to nature on this peninsula.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53I'm about to go kayaking and what a difference a day makes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57It's almost flat out there, but, even so, I'm taking no chances.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59I think I've got on a wet suit,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01a dry suit and then, somewhere in the middle, a onesie
0:31:01 > 0:31:04because once I get out around the headland,
0:31:04 > 0:31:05I've got no idea what's going to greet me.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18With rocky beauty comes real danger.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20The coast of southern Wales
0:31:20 > 0:31:23is littered with the legacy of shipwrecks.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Lighthouses.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28We're putting one of these into our guide.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31One that keeps a dark and bloody secret,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34a grisly tale of death and insanity.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36It's a secret that would
0:31:36 > 0:31:39revolutionise lighthouse-keeping on these shores.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Neil flew out to Smalls Lighthouse to discover why.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50Back in 1775,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53a guy called Henry Whiteside won the contract
0:31:53 > 0:31:55to build the first lighthouse out here
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and the solution he came up with almost beggars belief.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03What he did was, he erected a circle of massive oak beams,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07great posts rising 70-odd feet into the sky.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09This is a picture of the thing.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12People must have thought he was off his head when he showed them this
0:32:12 > 0:32:16drawing, but his solution was that the waves would break through these
0:32:16 > 0:32:18massive posts and, instead of breaking them,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22would just carry on and he was right because this thing stood up to
0:32:22 > 0:32:25the westerlies for over 70 years.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Now that was surely enough to get this place its spot
0:32:28 > 0:32:29in the history books.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32But there is another story.
0:32:34 > 0:32:39The winter of 1800-1801 was a particularly savage one.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44And during that time, Smalls Lighthouse was being manned,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47as was the custom, by a two-man team.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Now, Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffiths
0:32:50 > 0:32:53were notorious for one thing and one thing only
0:32:53 > 0:32:56and that was their constant arguing.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02So, when Griffiths died out here on the lighthouse in a freak accident,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Howell had a predicament.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06What he wanted to do, quite naturally,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08was to get rid of the body
0:33:08 > 0:33:12but he was panic-stricken in case people would think the pair had had
0:33:12 > 0:33:14another fight, he'd killed Griffiths
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and dumped the body to get rid of the evidence.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20So, in fear of a murder charge, he decides to hold on to the body.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27He puts it in a makeshift coffin and settles down to wait for the rescue
0:33:27 > 0:33:31party, but the storm is so relentless that nobody ever comes.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38After a few days, the body starts to smell and in desperation he drags
0:33:38 > 0:33:41the coffin out onto the balcony that surrounds the lamp house.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46During one of the worst storms yet,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48a massive wave shatters Griffiths' coffin.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52The putrefying corpse spills out
0:33:52 > 0:33:56and, by a cruel fluke of the way it lands,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00the wind is able to take one of the arms and blow it thus
0:34:00 > 0:34:03so that it looks as though the corpse is beckoning people
0:34:03 > 0:34:05onto Smalls Lighthouse once again.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10And this is the sight that greets the rescue party when,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12after more than three months,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15the storm has abated enough for them to get out to the lighthouse.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Inside the lighthouse they found Thomas Howell,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26and folk that knew him didn't even recognise him.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28His hair has turned completely white
0:34:28 > 0:34:34and his ordeal had driven him stark, staring mad.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43The tragedy changed the lighthouse world forever.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47From then, until the mid-1990s, when they were all fully automated,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51every lighthouse in the UK was assigned a three-man crew so that
0:34:51 > 0:34:53if disaster should overtake one of them,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56there would still be two to help keep each other sane.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The coast of southern Wales is an ever-changing wonder.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Its shores have shifted over millennia.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21The drifting patterns of sand and tide conceal and reveal clues
0:35:21 > 0:35:23to those who once lived here.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28On my journey around Gower I've landed at Port Eynon,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31once a swampy marshland.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35I've come to this landscape to search out a 6,000-year-old secret
0:35:35 > 0:35:37for our guide.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Tread lightly when walking on this beach at Port Eynon,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43because you're walking in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53Archaeologist Rhiannon Philp is part of a Cardiff University team
0:35:53 > 0:35:56that has made a rare discovery on this stretch of Gower's coast.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Human footprints preserved in prehistoric peat.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03How on earth did you find these footprints
0:36:03 > 0:36:05among all the contemporary ones?
0:36:05 > 0:36:08So, most of the contemporary ones are within the sand,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11whereas what we are looking for is footprints in the peat.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15So, on this beach there's quite a lot of peat exposed at low tide.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19So, these are ancient footprints only available
0:36:19 > 0:36:22to the naked eye at very low tide,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24which is why we can't see them at this time of year?
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- Yes.- Have you got any examples?
0:36:26 > 0:36:28I have. So this is an adult footprint.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33It's quite eroded, but within it you can actually see their toe marks.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37So, how frequently are footprints like this discovered?
0:36:37 > 0:36:39They are actually quite rare in Britain.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43There's probably only about nine or ten sites that have been recorded
0:36:43 > 0:36:45as having human footprints on the beaches.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48And three are right here on the South Wales coast.
0:36:48 > 0:36:49How exciting.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Is photography the best way of recording these?
0:36:52 > 0:36:55It's one way, but we've also been experimenting with photogrammetry.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59We've taken lots and lots of photographs all the way around,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02made a 3-D model and then we've been able to 3-D print that.
0:37:02 > 0:37:03And what's this showing us?
0:37:03 > 0:37:06So, this is probably a six-year-old child.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07We've got the big toe here.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10It looks like he or she has got a very low instep.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11What's going on here?
0:37:11 > 0:37:14This is a hoof print, basically.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17In other words, a child has trodden on the ground, and then
0:37:17 > 0:37:21superimposed on top of that is the print of a cloven-hoofed animal.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- Yes.- Which suggests a slightly more advanced period, doesn't it?
0:37:25 > 0:37:30Yeah, yeah, and suggests that they are utilising this kind of marshy
0:37:30 > 0:37:34environment for their livestock, which is quite interesting.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I love the idea of a child running through the peat,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39herding its livestock.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41- Yes.- Maybe goats or something.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Our beaches are incredible time machines in many different ways.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Over the years on Coast,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59we've found the weird and wonderful buried beneath the sand.
0:37:59 > 0:38:06But the next discovery going into our Great Guide is one unearthed
0:38:06 > 0:38:08at Pendine.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Seven miles of golden sand.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16But beach-goers here may be blissfully unaware of the sand's
0:38:16 > 0:38:17special qualities.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23It's superfine, which makes an exceptionally hard, flat surface.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26A rare combination, tailor-made for speed.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33Neil paid a visit to Pendine to witness a remarkable resurrection.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38In April 1926, this car was brought to this beach,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40and together they created history.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44In the '20s was this really what was capable of the world record?
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Yes. This is a 171-mph land-speed-record-holding car.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51And this is still capable of high speeds?
0:38:51 > 0:38:56It's certainly capable of doing the wrong side of 150mph.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59But given that it's a World War I aircraft engine,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02it takes a little persuasion to get started.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12When it does get going, it's something to behold.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23In the '20s, this beach was the only place in Britain big enough and
0:39:23 > 0:39:25flat enough to really let Babs rip.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Babs was the car owned by Wales'
0:39:33 > 0:39:38very own magnificent man in a flying machine, Parry-Thomas.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43He vied with Pendine's other famous racer, Scotsman Malcolm Campbell,
0:39:43 > 0:39:44to be the fastest man on earth.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52In March 1927, it was Thomas' turn to try to regain the crown.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56As he slowed down beyond the measured mile,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59there was a cloud of spray and sand and it had all gone wrong,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and the car had had a major accident at a significant speed,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05and Thomas was killed.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Once it lost control, Parry-Thomas never stood a chance.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Hard sand and high speed are an unforgiving combination.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24In an almost pagan ritual,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Babs' seats were slashed and her dial smashed
0:40:27 > 0:40:29before she was buried in the dunes.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33In 1968,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Owen Wyn Owen excavated the wreckage
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and painstakingly brought Babs back to life.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Now, occasionally he brings the car back to the beach that Babs
0:40:47 > 0:40:50and Parry-Thomas once made the fastest place on earth.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Babs was back on the beach this year for her 90th anniversary,
0:41:00 > 0:41:02driven by Geraint Owen,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05the son of the man who painstakingly restored her.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16This is the Great Coast Guide to southern Wales.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23My journey around Gower has taken me from Mumbles to Oxwich Bay.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25I'm headed for Penclawdd,
0:41:25 > 0:41:28but to get there I need to negotiate Worm's Head.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37As the most dramatic natural landmark on this peninsula,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40it just had to go in our Great Guide.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I'm braving this infamous serpent by sea.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46But if you dare to venture out on foot,
0:41:46 > 0:41:48it pays to check your tide times.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Once again, Neil was the right man for the job.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55The scramble across the jagged causeway
0:41:55 > 0:41:58that connects it to the mainland isn't for the faint-hearted.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01I've got to read the tides right.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04The current that comes swirling in across the rocks can easily
0:42:04 > 0:42:06cut you off or wash you away.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13You can't afford to hang around.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16One adventurer who got himself marooned out here
0:42:16 > 0:42:18was the poet Dylan Thomas.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22He told tales of being trapped on the rocks by the rising tide
0:42:22 > 0:42:23as darkness fell.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Once you've scrambled along the rocks of the low neck,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32you reach a jagged arch cut by the sea clean through
0:42:32 > 0:42:33the body of the beast.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37It takes you to the outer head, the loneliest tip of Gower.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42They call this the Devil's Bridge,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44and I'd love to cross over and carry on,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47but I'm going to have to leave that little slice of heaven to the birds.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49I'm here in May and at this time of year,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52the tip of Worm's Head is strictly out of bounds
0:42:52 > 0:42:54because the sea birds are busy nesting.
0:42:57 > 0:43:02This isolated spit of land offers sanctuary for wildlife.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Today, I'm going in search of the marine life
0:43:05 > 0:43:09that's drawn to Worm's Head, with an expert.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11This is Andrew Price's local patch.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16"Worm" actually derives from the Viking word "wyrm",
0:43:16 > 0:43:18which means "serpent" or "dragon".
0:43:18 > 0:43:21So when you look at it from the sea you can really understand why they
0:43:21 > 0:43:22would have thought that.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I've been really struck by how dramatic the landscape is.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29That limestone rock, it's like it's been literally carved by Vikings.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31It's been carved, but not by Vikings.
0:43:31 > 0:43:32It's been carved by
0:43:32 > 0:43:34erosion from the sea, really,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and that's what gives us this distinctive landmass.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41It's desolate. I can see now why it's this area of protected beauty.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Andy, this is unbelievable. Look what's straight in front of us!
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Well, we've got Atlantic grey seals on the rocks, mostly females.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53They've got the light underbelly and mottled fur.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55I just can't believe how chilled out they are.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57We are this close and they haven't moved.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59This is probably as close as we should really get to them.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02If we'd come down from the rocks, would it have been a different case?
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Would they have got spooked more easily?
0:44:04 > 0:44:06They certainly would. Coming from the land, they would see us
0:44:06 > 0:44:07as a land-based predator.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11Because we are in kayaks, we're just seen as another seagoing mammal,
0:44:11 > 0:44:13I guess.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15- Marine life with a bit of extra help.- That's it!
0:44:15 > 0:44:17- And there's a lot of them. - I see dozens every time
0:44:17 > 0:44:19I come round this north side of the Worm's Head.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Of course we've got a lot of herring gulls,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24and a nesting site towards the tip there.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28We also have guillemots and razorbills in pretty much the same
0:44:28 > 0:44:30area as well. So it's a huge nature reserve,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33massive bird colonies all over the Worm's Head.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37What's staggered me is so often you go on a safari or a wildlife trek
0:44:37 > 0:44:38and you see nothing.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41But today it's been like a sort of feast of wildlife.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44A buffet of nature, isn't it?
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Yeah, I was trying to think of the word, something like "elemental".
0:44:47 > 0:44:48I mean it's just... Whoa!
0:44:52 > 0:44:53I'm discovering the very best
0:44:53 > 0:44:56the coast of southern Wales has to offer.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02Its headlands and islands give sustenance to some of Britain's
0:45:02 > 0:45:03richest wildlife.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09But one island off the Pembrokeshire coast is a cut above the rest.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12A breeding colony for feathered friends.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19Skomer attracts around 10,000 puffins every year,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22and flies straight into our Guide.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Miranda got wet to get close to them.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32That is chilly, it's very chilly.
0:45:35 > 0:45:40Puffins are easily spooked, so we have to be patient and move slowly.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44But we are being rewarded with a rare chance of swimming
0:45:44 > 0:45:46within just a few feet of them.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Some of Skomer's grey seals are lounging nearby,
0:45:58 > 0:46:01but, for me, it's the puffins that steal the show.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Absolutely surrounded by puffins,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06maybe just five or six feet away from me.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10Some of them just skimming over the top of my head.
0:46:11 > 0:46:12Incredible.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Seven miles from Skomer,
0:46:20 > 0:46:25Grassholm is one of the most important gannet colonies on earth.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32Every spring, over 70,000 flock here from Africa and Spain.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38In breeding season, this tiny rock, barely half a mile across,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41is home to 7% of the world gannet population.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50On my voyage around the Gower Peninsula,
0:46:50 > 0:46:55I've reached my final destination, Penclawdd on the Burry Estuary.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00This tiny hamlet has a big reputation
0:47:00 > 0:47:02for a delicacy that's world-famous.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06A marine mollusc that lives beneath the mud.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11How well do you know your Magna Carta?
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Because it was that agreement 800 years ago that ensured King John's
0:47:15 > 0:47:21subjects were given certain rights, such as access to a fair trial.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25But less well-known is that it also enshrined the right for everybody
0:47:25 > 0:47:30to be allowed to pick 8lb of cockles from the foreshore.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33And that right still exists in most parts of Britain today.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41Pick more than 8lb of cockles, and you'll need a licence.
0:47:41 > 0:47:42For generations,
0:47:42 > 0:47:44the Jones family has had that license
0:47:44 > 0:47:48to harvest Wales' finest cockles from this foreshore.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Cockles have been gathered on the Burry inlet for hundreds of years,
0:47:51 > 0:47:52by women at the beginning,
0:47:52 > 0:47:56walking out barefooted with their donkeys, gathering the catch,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59just the same way we do today with a rake and a riddle.
0:47:59 > 0:48:00Bringing the cockles ashore,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03cooking them on the shore then selling them at local markets
0:48:03 > 0:48:04in Swansea.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07I'm the fifth generation in the family to be gathering cockles.
0:48:07 > 0:48:08- Have you got some pictures?- I have.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10So we've got the very early days.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13There's a donkey which they used to carry the cockles on.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15There's probably 50-60 kilos in that sack.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18So one old woman picking 100 kilos of cockles in a day.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20Yep.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- My goodness! - And here's my grandmother.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25She was gathering cockles up until a few years ago.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Look at that look. They're sharing a moment, aren't they?
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Yeah, there's nobody else to talk to!
0:48:30 > 0:48:31Why was it women in the early days?
0:48:31 > 0:48:33It's now predominantly male, I presume?
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Yeah, most of the men worked in the mines, local mines,
0:48:36 > 0:48:37in and around this area.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40The women went out to do the cockle gathering.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42It was seen as a woman's job,
0:48:42 > 0:48:45and I think my grandfather was one of the first men in the village
0:48:45 > 0:48:48to actually become a cockle gatherer at the age of about 11.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52And why particularly this estuary, this inlet?
0:48:52 > 0:48:55We're so far south, I think, and we are on the Gulf Stream.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58We think this is the best, sweetest cockle we can get around.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00And that's the fleshy bit that you eat, is it?
0:49:00 > 0:49:03- That's the fleshy bit. - Lovely, it looks delicious.
0:49:03 > 0:49:04Taste that.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09- Mm. - Nice?
0:49:09 > 0:49:12It is good, actually. It's kind of sweet, you're right.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15- It is really sweet. - Almost a lemony something...
0:49:15 > 0:49:18- It tastes like it's been seasoned. - Yes, it's got a taste of its own.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Yeah, it really does. That's the first time I've had a raw cockle.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25- Yeah? Good. - That's delicious. Really delicious.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27And is it a skill, cockling?
0:49:27 > 0:49:30- Somebody like me...- It's a way of life, it's a way of life.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33It's like everything. A miner would go and dig coal,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35we go and dig cockles,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and we just love it because we are out in the open air,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39and we just love our job.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41So, could you take me now and show me how to cockle?
0:49:41 > 0:49:43I can show you how to cockle,
0:49:43 > 0:49:44whether you would cockle, I don't know.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47You've got to have a back like a wire rope, I think,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49to bend for six or seven hours a day.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51But it's worth having a go at it.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54- What have we got here? - We're going to fetch our tools.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57I'll be looking to learn the craft of cockling later.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00But it's great to see the Joneses, father and son,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03still plying their trade here.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04For other family businesses,
0:50:04 > 0:50:08changing times have brought generations of tradition to an end,
0:50:08 > 0:50:12as we found with the remarkable story of the Severn Princess.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Beneath the shadow of the Severn Bridge is a jetty that once bustled
0:50:20 > 0:50:21with travellers.
0:50:24 > 0:50:2760 years ago, before the bridge, there was a ferry.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34The Severn Princess sails into our guide as a genuine piece
0:50:34 > 0:50:35of estuary heritage.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Seven years ago, we visited her at her new home in Chepstow.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44My name is Richard Jones.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47I'm the oldest grandson of Enoch Williams, who was the founder
0:50:47 > 0:50:51of the last incarnation of the Beachley Aust Ferry.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54This boat on which we are standing at the moment
0:50:54 > 0:50:56is the Severn Princess.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59This crossing was very important because it was the only crossing
0:50:59 > 0:51:01available for car traffic.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05It was a lifeline to many people in their daily business.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Many people courted on the ferries.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Girls in England meeting gentleman from Wales, and vice versa.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15The last day that the service carried cars
0:51:15 > 0:51:17was September 8th, 1966,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20the day that the Severn Bridge opened.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23To commemorate the first crossing of the Severn Bridge,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26I have great pleasure in unveiling this plaque.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32It was a joyous day in some ways, because everybody likes a party.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35But it was also very sad to see my grandfather's lifelong work
0:51:35 > 0:51:37come to an end.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Today, the ferry refuses to sink without trace.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50Richard is now a key member of the Severn Princess Restoration Group,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52working tirelessly to preserve the Princess.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Most of the work now has been trying
0:51:56 > 0:51:59to stop the weather getting at her
0:51:59 > 0:52:00in terms of rust.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02But actually, the structure is pretty sound,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04considering what the boat has been through
0:52:04 > 0:52:07in the 50 years since the ferry finished running.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12She still is very vulnerable but, happily,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15we've been able to slow down that deterioration.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19I just feel very much attached to her
0:52:19 > 0:52:22and I would like to see her preserved.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27The group hope that the Princess will one day sit proud
0:52:27 > 0:52:30in a Heritage Park on the Wales coastal path.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36On the coast of Gower, history is very much alive and kicking.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43I'm about to be schooled in a cockle gathering technique
0:52:43 > 0:52:46practised here in Penclawdd for centuries.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49You can see the cockles are just underneath here.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52- OK.- And as I'm scraping them back...
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Yeah.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55There's cockles here, see?
0:52:55 > 0:52:57- You can feel them under your rake, can't you?- Yes.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06I'm getting competitive. I don't want you to get more than me.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Forget your 50 years' experience!
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- Not bad, is it? - If you can roll it around.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16You've got way more than me!
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Why do they live just under the sand?
0:53:19 > 0:53:23When the tide comes in, the peaks of the cockles will come up,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25and they feed, filtering the water.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28There's millions of cockles,
0:53:28 > 0:53:31and they all squirt up some water at the same time.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34- Right, OK.- And it's where we say the cockles sing.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38I'm not feeling the urge to burst into song, myself.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40After half an hour of cockle picking,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43it's hard to believe Brian's mother spent hours doing this
0:53:43 > 0:53:45well into her 70s.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It's actually backbreaking.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Cockles have fed the people of the Burry Estuary for hundreds of years.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02But far older sea creatures can be found on these shores.
0:54:02 > 0:54:03In Victorian times,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07the coast of southern Wales attracted scientists searching for
0:54:07 > 0:54:11evidence to challenge the Church's view of creation.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14In a secluded cove, JW Salter unearthed a find so special
0:54:14 > 0:54:17it rewrote our understanding of the world.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Our Great Guide salutes the man and his discovery.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Hermione Cockburn followed in his footsteps.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30In 1862, Salter's boat took a wrong turning,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33and he landed, purely by chance, at this rocky inlet
0:54:33 > 0:54:36near St Davids called Porth y Rhaw.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Salter uncovered evidence here that supported the idea that the Earth
0:54:40 > 0:54:42hadn't just existed for thousands of years,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45it had to be hundreds of millions of years old.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50A literal reading of the Bible
0:54:50 > 0:54:53suggested the world was around 6,000 years old.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57Salter found a fossil that said otherwise.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- Hi, Bob.- Hi.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04Dr Robert Owens knows that priceless fossil better than most.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07So, Bob, tell us about what Salter found here.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08Well, he found these.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10My goodness!
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Giant trilobites.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14This one I'm holding in my hands comes from this very spot.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16This is enormous.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Absolutely, yes. Imagine splitting a rock open and that's facing you.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23What would this creature have been like when it was living?
0:55:23 > 0:55:28Well, it's a distant relative of the crabs, lobsters, scorpions, spiders,
0:55:28 > 0:55:29the arthropods, in other words.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32That group of animals. This probably lived on the seabed,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35crawling around, and it was probably a predator-scavenger.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38It was probably fairly high up in the food chain.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39How old are these trilobites?
0:55:39 > 0:55:44On our present estimates, they are about 505 million years old.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48505! So, a lot, lot older than any dinosaur, for example.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51Yes, I mean, over twice as old as the oldest dinosaur.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Really right back to the beginnings of large life forms.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56- That's right.- And this geological period that they come from,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58it's called the Cambrian. After...
0:55:58 > 0:56:02After Wales, where rocks of this age were first recognised.
0:56:02 > 0:56:03A truly Welsh fossil, then.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05If there were to be a national fossil of Wales,
0:56:05 > 0:56:06I think this might well be it.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14My own expedition to the Burry inlet has turned up a bucket full
0:56:14 > 0:56:15of specimens.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18We've got so many, they are spilling over.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20- It looks greedy. - You can carry that.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21I knew you were going to say that.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22I'll carry that one.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26- Ho-ho! It weighs a tonne! - It does.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- There we go.- Let's see if we can make something out of this sand.
0:56:29 > 0:56:30So what do we do now with them?
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- We are going to try to wash them, now.- OK.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37- Where do we wash them?- A drop of water, they'll be fine.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39If you put your sieve down there.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43- OK.- And put yours flat.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Are you just tipping, to get the excess sand off?
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Yeah, we're going to take that sand off there.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55Very rewarding to get cockles from a piece of sand.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57And people will take them home, and make some money on them.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00It's like something for nothing, although it isn't,
0:57:00 > 0:57:01- because it's hard work.- Yes.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06- Perfect job.- Good stuff.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09And how long would you expect to take to fill a sack?
0:57:09 > 0:57:10Not very long.
0:57:10 > 0:57:15It would take me at least 4-5 hours to make at least 10
0:57:15 > 0:57:16of them bags filled to the top.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18- Would it?- Yes.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20And you're tired by then - tell me you're tired!
0:57:20 > 0:57:24You want to go home then, you want to lie down somewhere after that.
0:57:24 > 0:57:32I want to lie down right now to be honest with you!
0:57:32 > 0:57:34And I've only got half a bag!
0:57:34 > 0:57:36At the end of my journey, I'm exhausted...
0:57:38 > 0:57:42..but looking forward to tasting some of the natural bounty of Gower.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49A peninsula bursting with wildlife and breathtaking views,
0:57:49 > 0:57:52on a coastline stuffed with stories.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Touring with our Great Guide, at Freshwater West
0:57:58 > 0:58:00we surfed wind and waves...
0:58:02 > 0:58:06..on Gower's epic edge, we explored a landmark like no other...
0:58:10 > 0:58:15..at Pendine Sands, we walked in the wake of Britain's fastest men...
0:58:17 > 0:58:20..and went to sea in search of wildlife.
0:58:27 > 0:58:32This is a coastline built by natural beauty, natural resources,
0:58:32 > 0:58:35and an industrious people who make the most of what surrounds them.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39A treat for the eyes and the taste buds.
0:58:39 > 0:58:43There's so much packed into this amazing stretch of Welsh coast,
0:58:43 > 0:58:46that really wherever you go, you're bound to find something new.