0:00:19 > 0:00:20Today I'm on a journey
0:00:20 > 0:00:23across Welsh mountain country, from here,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25just north of Merthyr Tydfil, all the way
0:00:25 > 0:00:29across the Brecon Beacons to Llandovery.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Along the way I'll be looking back at the best of the BBC's rural
0:00:33 > 0:00:38programmes from this part of the world. Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51And what better way to start my journey
0:00:51 > 0:00:53than on the Brecon Mountain Railway?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I'm here with Matt, the driver.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Matt, how long has this railway been here?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Well, the railway was opened in 1980.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It's built on the Brecon to Newport railway,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04which was closed by Dr Beeching in the early '60s.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08We managed to get some rail from the ex-MoD camps around the country
0:01:08 > 0:01:13and we brought the track down here and re-laid it in these conditions up here.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15What about the actual steam train here?
0:01:15 > 0:01:19This locomotive was built in 1908, in Germany,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and it operated out there until the mid-'60s,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26where again that railway out there was closed and we managed
0:01:26 > 0:01:29to acquire this loco in the early '70s and brought it back to UK
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and since then we've rebuilt it.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34So can I have a quick... Do you trust me for a moment?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Yeah, I'm sure I trust you, yeah.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37OK. So...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40So, we're going a bit too quickly now.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Lift this up a little bit?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Tap it with your hand is easier. It's quite stiff.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Like that?
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Yeah, keep going, keep going, keep going. OK.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Don't forget to tell me when I can blow the whistle!
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- That's my favourite thing in the whole world.- OK!
0:01:55 > 0:01:59I'm just a little boy really. Happy with this speed?
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Yeah. OK, we're coming to a curve now.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04- You can blow the whistle now if you like.- OK.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06HOOT-HOOT!
0:02:06 > 0:02:07There you go. Brilliant.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Made my day! The thing that amazes me about steam trains
0:02:11 > 0:02:14is they're like living organisms, aren't they?
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Once you've been involved with steam it never leaves you. It's in your blood.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It's quite noisy. Is that because it's oil?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23That's right, yeah. You get a rumbling from the firebox,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26whereas if we were coal-fired you wouldn't hear all this noise.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30You'd just hear the noise of the loco itself and not the firing.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34But we converted to oil because of the trees and the fire risk.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I'm assuming because it's oil you can't do that old trick
0:02:37 > 0:02:39of cooking bacon in the furnace?
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Unfortunately not, no. The fire box is sealed up so we can't do that.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Ah. And I have to say the views from here are spectacular.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50You probably get used to it, doing this every day, but it's quite something.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52The views are fantastic, aren't they?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55I mean as you say, we probably take it for granted
0:02:55 > 0:03:00but the general public who ride on the railway are taken aback by it all, yeah.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The landscape around here is astonishing.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07We've got Brecon over that way and journey's end, Llandovery, is just over there.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Now in the first of two parts of classic Countryfile,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Adam Henson tries his hand at geese droving, Brecon-style.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21It's a common myth that the American Wild West is the only home of the cowboy,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25but it's the Welsh who are the original cowboys.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Known as drovers, these boozy bandit fighting womanisers walked their animals
0:03:32 > 0:03:38hundreds of miles across the British countryside for a millennia.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40With 40 geese, I'm going to attempt
0:03:40 > 0:03:43to follow one of South Wales' droving trails.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Whilst cattle droving is well known, walking birds is nowadays unheard of
0:03:47 > 0:03:51but the popularity of the Christmas goose saw thousands of birds
0:03:51 > 0:03:53being walked to market every winter.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I have just three days to get 40 geese 12 miles across the Welsh hills.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59No-one knows if I'll make it.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Before we start we've gathered at an old gold mine,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06where Peter, our veterinary consultant, can check the birds.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09How are they looking? Do you think they're ready for a long walk?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Yeah, I think they're very good and I'm very glad to hear
0:04:12 > 0:04:14that they're just over a year old
0:04:14 > 0:04:17because the bones are properly formed,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20so they're quite able to walk and they have been kept out of doors,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24so they're in good, what we'd call, hard condition.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Our journey is taking place in South Wales
0:04:27 > 0:04:29along a well-trodden drovers path.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33From the gold mine we'll take small roads to the village of Caio,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36then it's up through the forest onto the open moorland, where we'll camp.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Day two looks tough. We need to cross the moor before nightfall
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and get to our accommodation at the pub in Cilycwm.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45On the last day I must get to Llandovery,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Wales' most famous droving town.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53We're setting off now. Bring 'em on, Maud.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57In drovers' times long-distance travel was rare
0:04:57 > 0:04:58so the gentry would get the drovers
0:04:58 > 0:05:01to carry letters, trading documents and goods
0:05:01 > 0:05:05and in my bag I'm carrying a letter for the mayor of Llandovery,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08a letter of thanks to give her when we arrive.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Come on, Maud, bring 'em on.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18As a farmer, I'm used to herding cows and sheep but not really geese.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I'm nervous one of the birds might get lost or injured
0:05:21 > 0:05:23but Maud's a brilliant working collie
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and she doesn't seem fazed by her unusual charges.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30We're soon moving at a slow but steady pace.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Hello, Adam. How are you? Enjoying it?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Yeah, it's great actually.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38The geese are well-behaved, the dog is doing a good job.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39Jolly good.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I'm doing all the droving alone but historian Richard Moore-Colyer
0:05:43 > 0:05:48will weave in and out of my route to help me understand the droving world.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50When was all this droving going on then?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53We have ample evidence of droving being carried out
0:05:53 > 0:05:55from Saxon times if not earlier than that,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58but the heyday of droving would have been from the 16th century
0:05:58 > 0:06:00through until the end of the 19th.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02And why were they doing it?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05You have to remember that in Wales in particular until really
0:06:05 > 0:06:09the end of the 19th century pasture quality was very, very poor indeed.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It was virtually impossible to fatten cattle and sheep on the grassland of Wales
0:06:13 > 0:06:18and the result was this trade developed whereby lean cattle, store cattle as we call them,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22were taken to the richer pasturelands of England, fattened there
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- then sold on to the metropolitan markets in Britain. - Is it unusual to drove geese?
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Not in the least, no, no.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Geese certainly from the Carmarthenshire area around Caio,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33would have been driven to Llandovery,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36to the markets, particularly for the Christmas markets.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Are we following an old drovers road?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Yes, we are. Much of this area was honeycombed with drovers roads.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Many of them coalescing on Llandovery
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and eventually working their way into England.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Drovers of old would walk hundreds of birds around 12 miles per day.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55We've gone just two miles so far and I've already got a straggler.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59She's my favourite and I've nicknamed her Jemima.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01We stop to rest and get a vet check.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I think they've got on very well indeed.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05The weather has been kind for them.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09The road hasn't been too flinty and rough.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Interesting that they rest for about 20 minutes,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15then they come to life again spontaneously.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25A short break then back on the road.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32It's going quite well so far.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36The geese are quite calm and the weather is lovely. Very pleasant.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38And then the rain comes pouring down.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43In four hours we've gone just two miles.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Go on, geese.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59# Sitting on my own
0:07:59 > 0:08:01# Chewing on a bone
0:08:01 > 0:08:07# A thousand million miles from home... #
0:08:07 > 0:08:10The first day has been a lot harder than I imagined.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It's now half past six, quarter to seven,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and we're still quite a way off from the camp.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18But we'll get there soon.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24The enclosed forests and constant rain has left us all tired.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27The geese try to use the puddles to preen their feathers
0:08:27 > 0:08:29but they just get muddy.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He's getting on pretty well, he's making good progress.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49He's gone through the rushes and marram grass and he's coming across the open moor.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52The geese look well, he looks well, if a little wet.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02# Sitting on my own
0:09:02 > 0:09:04# Chewing on a bone
0:09:04 > 0:09:10# A thousand million miles from home
0:09:10 > 0:09:16# When something hears me... #
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Is this typical drovers' food then, Richard?
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Well I guess it is, yes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23A haunch of bread, a piece of cheese, the odd onion.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Would they bite into raw onions like this?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28They'd probably slice them, it'd depend on the drover.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So what about the dangers of sleeping out?
0:09:31 > 0:09:37Well for anyone to sleep out in the countryside in the 18th and 19th century was pretty dangerous.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Footpads of course lurked by the wayside,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42highwaymen were fairly common,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and you took a fair bit of risk when you slept out,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48particularly in these locations such as we're in at the moment.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I reckon we'll be pretty safe up here tonight, won't we?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Well, you've got to watch out for the foxes and the geese,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57but beyond that you're pretty safe. The locals are pretty quiet.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Let's have a little drink to that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Why not, here here. Try some of this excellent mead.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05With darkness creeping in I tackle my last job,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07creating a shelter for the geese.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09MOBILE PHONE RINGS
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Adam speaking.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Dad, I'll have to phone you back.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I'm in the middle of erecting a tent on the moor for my geese.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19The geese seem happy with their new home.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23I'm shattered. All I want is a soft, warm bed.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25There's just a couple of us left up here
0:10:25 > 0:10:28looking after the geese during the night.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30We're camping out, but it's cold and wet
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and fairly eerie up here on the moor.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34My main concern is that foxes may move in
0:10:34 > 0:10:37for a bit of a midnight feast on the geese.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I just hope they're all going to be there in the morning.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Good night.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I'm steaming through the Brecon Beacons National Park
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and pulling to a stop at Pontsticill.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59HOOT!
0:11:02 > 0:11:05OK, we're just approaching the platform now.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07You can apply the brakes in a minute.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- OK.- We just need to close the throttle fully now, close that fully.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Pull it down?- All the way up. - All the way up.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14Close it, that's it closed now.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20We've reached the end of the line and it's time for me to start walking.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Thanks very much, guys.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28Well, it's not every day you find yourself marooned in one of Britain's wildest National Parks,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32but luckily there's a warden on hand to accompany me on the next leg of my adventure.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Alan, how are you? Thanks so much for coming along.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Fantastic weather, a bit of snow.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39It does help, all sorts of weather here.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Area manager Alan Ward gave up a job in the oil industry
0:11:43 > 0:11:47in south-east Asia to make a career in the mountains 21 years ago.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49And since then, he's never looked back.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52So what for you is so special about this National Park,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54this part of the world?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The scenery, the landscape, the people who live and work here,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00the farming community we get on very well with
0:12:00 > 0:12:04and the fact that my job as area manager every day is different.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08I assume you must spend a lot of time out and about walking in these hills?
0:12:08 > 0:12:12I wish I could spend more time out in the hills walking.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I am sometimes at a desk in HQ.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Obviously the Brecon Beacons are famous for their changeable weather?
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Very changeable. It's always best to be prepared before you go out in the hills.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25OK. Where are we heading for today?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Into the central Beacons, one of the most spectacular parts
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- with big open spaces, big summits and plenty of space.- Lead the way.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40And one of those summits is Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in southern Britain.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44But true to form the Brecon Beacons treated us to a staggering display
0:12:44 > 0:12:49of changeable weather, from winter wonderland to very soggy land.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Well, the Brecon Beacons are notorious for their weather
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and looking ahead, it's not looking too good, so Alan's gone ahead.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02He's got a weather forecast and I'm going to find out what the plan is. Hi, Alan.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- Hello, Ben.- So a little bit rainy. - It certainly is.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Have we got a forecast here?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I've produced the current forecast for the day.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13It's a site specific mountain weather forecast for the Brecon Beacons,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16that's what we all should refer to before we plan a walk on a hill.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20All I can see is heavy rain, snow, hill fog, gales, wind chill!
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And the only thing missing is the sunshine!
0:13:23 > 0:13:24I don't think that's coming today.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28So what do you think our chances are of getting to the top in the time we have?
0:13:28 > 0:13:34If I was here by myself, Ben, I'd be looking at this, I'd have looked at the forecast at home,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37maybe stuck my head out of the window and I really would think,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40well, why would I want to come up here on a day like today?
0:13:40 > 0:13:45We have to be responsible. Coming out in bad weather, accidents can happen causing inconvenience.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50The mountain rescue team would have to and assist us off, so I'd save this for another day.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55OK, I've got to get to Llandovery, is there another way apart from going over Pen y Fan?
0:13:55 > 0:13:59We can look for a lowland route that wouldn't go much above 500 metres altitude,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01so there are plenty of options.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- So we can stay below the cloud cover?- We certainly can.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- OK. Shall we go and look at the maps?- OK then.- OK, this way.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15Thwarted by heavy rain, freezing temperatures and low cloud cover,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18we've altered our route to take us west of Pen y Fan
0:14:18 > 0:14:21to a secret destination.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It's a bit of a disappointment we haven't made it up Pen y Fan today,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28but Alan here promises me we're going somewhere even better!
0:14:28 > 0:14:31You'll be amazed when we get down to the site I'm taking you to.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Really? I've been to the Brecon Beacons before but never to this part.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38I've worked here 21 years. I haven't seen it all yet.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- Really?- So...
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And even in this weather it's going to be worth it?
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It'll be better in this weather.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45I'm going to hold you to that.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48OK, I promise.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03I'll prove to you there's something for everybody to enjoy in the National Park.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- Whatever the weather.- Whatever the weather.- Missing Pen y Fan.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Oh, wow!
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Yes, it's in good flow today.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22That's absolutely incredible.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24You can see a couple of people walking behind it?
0:15:24 > 0:15:25You can go behind it?
0:15:25 > 0:15:30The footpath goes right behind the waterfall and it's a good day for it.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33How amazing! I've never seen a waterfall this size in the UK.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36We don't tell everybody, but they'll know now!
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- This is a real secret isn't it? - It certainly is, a real gem.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- What's it called?- Sgwd Yr Eira.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- What does that mean?- Fall of snow.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- Fall of snow?- Because of the whiteness coming over when the river's in flood.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50We've got another little waterfall here, all of the cliff.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54A very wet hillside, filling this stream.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56It does look magnificent today.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Absolutely incredible.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I hope you're up for coming behind it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03Absolutely.
0:16:14 > 0:16:20So, basically, the fact that all this rain has been falling has benefited us?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It certainly has. What worked against us in our attempt to get up Pen y Fan this morning
0:16:24 > 0:16:27has definitely worked to our advantage here today.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Are there many other waterfalls in this part of the National Park?
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Five or six other really impressive falls
0:16:33 > 0:16:36that can be linked on a six-hour circular walk.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Where does this path go now?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40It goes right behind me, right behind the waterfall.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- Underneath the waterfall? - Right behind it.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46That's like the film Last Of The Mohicans. Exactly.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49My chance to be an actor.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Absolutely.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- I'll follow you, then.- OK, then.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- Are you sure it's safe?- Yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Wow!
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- I don't think I've walked underneath a waterfall before.- Really?
0:17:22 > 0:17:28Wow, I'm certainly seeing the extreme side of the Brecon Beacons.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Adam Henson, however, took a more leisurely approach.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33He also had a bit of sunshine.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45The dramatic Welsh mountains, home to male-voice choirs...
0:17:45 > 0:17:49THEY SING
0:17:49 > 0:17:52..thousands of sheep...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54..the occasional rugby player...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57CHEERING
0:17:57 > 0:18:00..and some of the toughest horses in the world.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Over the next two days, I'm taking on the challenge of riding on horseback for 17 miles,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08starting at the Brecon Beacons National Park.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- Hi.- Hi there.- How are you doing?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Nice to see you. Is this my charger for the day?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Yes, this is Murphy.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Is Murphy a good horse?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18He's lovely, yeah. As all the Welsh cobs are,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21he's nice and and sensible. Safe, steady, but will go all day for you.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Great.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The Radnor Forest Ride joins the Three Rivers Ride
0:18:39 > 0:18:42in the Welsh Brecon Beacons and the Jack Mytton Way in Shropshire.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Of the newly created 70-mile route,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47I'm planning to take on the first 17 miles
0:18:47 > 0:18:50from the Brecon Beacons National Park to Upper Chapel.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- It's a wonderful ride, isn't it? - Amazing scenery.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56A lovely route. You've got mountains all the way over
0:18:56 > 0:18:59it's fantastic round here. You can see why it's so popular.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02It's one of the best riding areas in the country.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04There we go, Murphy. Look, you can have a drink.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I've never been in the saddle longer than an hour before,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18so two days up and down the Welsh hills will be a challenge.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Seems to go into a farmyard here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22The route provides good variety,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24we're soon out onto the country lanes.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28I'm one of the first to try out this newly mapped-out ride.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32It joins up existing bridleways via public roads and permissive access across private land.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34A drink there for you, Henry.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- There we go.- We enjoyed the hospitality of locals,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42who were only too willing to provide buckets of water for our thirsty steeds.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- That was lovely. Thank you for that. - Thank you. Isn't that lovely?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Amazing, yeah. Fantastic.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Do you think we're going the right way, Henry?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It seems like a bit of a building site.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01It looks that way, doesn't it?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- Well, the route goes up there. - There's a house in the way.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08There's a house in the way and the gate's blocked with topsoil.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Well, we'll just drop back down,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14come up on the side and rejoin it just round the edge.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15So, where do you reckon now?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18What do you think, Murphy? We're in another farmyard.
0:20:21 > 0:20:27Well, we've found our way, round from the other farmyard.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Looks like we're venturing off into the woods, possibly.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Or maybe not.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36We're not lost after all.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Oh, no. Never lost. Just temporarily mislaid.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Amazing scenery.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Beautiful Brecon Beacons.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Once you've completed a hard, long day riding,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49you want a good bed and stables for your horse.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54I suppose it's very important, looking after the animal that's been looking after you all day.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Very much so. Give him a good wash off.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It's 10:30 at night and I've just come out to check the horses.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Murphy's looking well, fit and healthy.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Not looking as stiff as me.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10It's 7 in the morning and I've got up and had a shower and a shave.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12You know, I don't feel too bad.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15A little bit achy, but looking forward to my next day.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I hope Murphy's up for it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Good boy.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Thank you very much.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Fantastic. Very comfortable for both horse and rider.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I was about to start the second leg of my journey
0:21:27 > 0:21:29eight miles north, to Upper Chapel.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33It was great to be back in the saddle.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Around 2.5 million people enjoy riding in the UK each year.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41But only 20% of public rights of way are open to horses.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Oh, just canter.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55It's lovely to be up on the tops now. The scenery is spectacular.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58It's great to have a bit of a canter. Murphy's on top form.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Come on. Go on, Murphy.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19We kicked on the pace and quickly made our way to the highest point
0:22:19 > 0:22:21of our journey, up along the main ridge.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27We've reached the trig point at the top of the hill.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Magnificent scenery from up here.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31We've been getting a little bit behind on time,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35so we're gonna have a quick sandwich and then press on.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Some for me.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'I'd been stung by a hornet and covered in horseflies.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52'And I think Murphy was beginning to suspect that I wasn't such a great
0:22:52 > 0:22:53'rider after all.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55'But the end was in sight.'
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Two days in the saddle!
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Across from the Brecon Beacons for about 17 miles.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16And I've got a very sore behind.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18But it was absolutely wonderful.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29- BEN FOGLE:- My Welsh mountain journey started at Merthyr Tydfil, on the southern edge
0:23:29 > 0:23:33of the Brecon Beacons and I've made my way deep into the National Park.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37The Brecon Beacons have thrown every bit of weather in my direction.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Snow-capped mountains, raging rivers and pelting rain.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44But just maybe, I've proven myself,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47because the sun is finally poking through the clouds.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49You really can have four seasons in one day.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And whatever the weather, the Brecon Beacons really
0:23:52 > 0:23:54are a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I've camped and hiked these hills many times.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00But there's one side of the National Park
0:24:00 > 0:24:02that many people don't get to see.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05And that's the working farmland.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10My travel companion is National Park area manager Alan Ward.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13So, obviously the National Park shares a lot of its land
0:24:13 > 0:24:16with working farms. How does that relationship work?
0:24:16 > 0:24:20National Park staff work very closely with the farming community.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23And it's a good relationship, is it?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I think so. I go to meetings and I know most of the farmers there.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31My daughter's married into a local farming family. So I have good connections, so to speak.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Presumably, they're important to the upkeep of the National Park?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37They are. The National Park can't manage
0:24:37 > 0:24:41this area without a partnership concept, with local farmers particularly.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Obviously this region was particularly badly affected
0:24:45 > 0:24:48during the Foot And Mouth outbreak back in 2001.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49What are your memories of that time?
0:24:49 > 0:24:53My memories of that time are lots of meetings with the farming community
0:24:53 > 0:24:56to decide on the best course of action, how we could assist.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59We have staff with Land Rovers and other vehicles.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Most of the public footpaths were closed.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05At key honeypot sites, we ensured people weren't...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08breaking the restrictions and going onto the open hill.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10A pretty bleak period for everyone involved.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13It was. Tourism suffered, as well as farming. It was a difficult time.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18Obviously part of this landscape is sheep, people and things.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21During that period, it must have been absolutely empty?
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It was like a ghost town. Ghost town countryside. On the hills,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28you can always see little blobs of little white sheep up there.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32There was nothing. You'd drive past vast fields like we're looking up now and they would be empty.
0:25:32 > 0:25:38There would be very few people, very few cars on the road, no tourists. It was a difficult time.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47A cull of 4,000 sheep in the Brecon Beacons will go ahead tomorrow.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50A further 6,000 face tests for Foot And Mouth disease
0:25:50 > 0:25:51over the next few days.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57More sheep have been slaughtered in the Brecon Beacons to fight against Foot And Mouth.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Foot And Mouth hit Britain in February 2001.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05And by April, the highly contagious disease had reached the Brecon Beacons.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09More than 100,000 sheep were slaughtered across Powys that summer.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11The crisis lasted 11 months and cost
0:26:11 > 0:26:17the UK's farming and tourist industry more than £5 billion.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Local farmer Edwin Harris saw his entire flock of 1,000 sheep slaughtered.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I'm on my way to meet him.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29But first, we go back to 2001 when he spoke to Countryfile.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32The Brecon Beacons, almost a sheep-free zone
0:26:32 > 0:26:38and the latest casualty of a Foot And Mouth crisis which just won't go away.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42These hills have had a lot of attention over the past few days.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44That's because of a cull of 4,000 sheep,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48which farmers say is unnecessary and hugely expensive.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53Sheep which usually roam freely on the Brecons have been gathered in and blood-tested.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58Some have been exposed to Foot And Mouth, so a cull's going ahead, while more are rounded up for testing.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Farmers whose sheep graze these hills
0:27:00 > 0:27:04are unhappy with the extent and the expense of the cull.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09Edwin Harris, who represents them, is still tidying up after his own sheep were slaughtered.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13If the government is concerned about the cost of the clean-up operation,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15plus the cost of buying everything
0:27:15 > 0:27:18that is included in that operation, you've got to remember
0:27:18 > 0:27:21that we could vaccinate everything for 50p a sheep.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24And in three weeks' time, tourists could go back
0:27:24 > 0:27:28on the mountains, we could be back in business with all our stock intact,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30at no more expense to the government.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Ironically, perhaps, the Welsh Assembly announced its
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Foot And Mouth recovery package just as the disease re-emerged.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42But Welsh ministers seem remarkably unconcerned about the cost of the latest cull.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46It doesn't cost the Assembly anything. It's paid for by DEFRA.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- How much will it cost DEFRA? - I couldn't tell you.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51It's a matter for their budget.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Wouldn't it be cheaper, above anything else, to vaccinate?
0:27:54 > 0:27:58If we vaccinated in Wales, we would lose our export market for good.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01We'd end up with bankruptcies amongst our hill farmers.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The only market they've got is the export market.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Added to that, it doesn't work. If vaccination was a viable option, we'd have done it by now.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But despite the slaughter of more than 3 million animals,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16the disease isn't yet beaten. Until it is, farmers can't export.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Losing that market has halved the price of lambs in Wales.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Sheep in Cumbria and Yorkshire are now being blood-tested.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26There are warnings that'll mean more slaughter at yet more expense.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28It's quite manifest by the outbreak in the Beacons that
0:28:28 > 0:28:32there is widespread disease within the sheep population.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It could well be that the same exists in Yorkshire
0:28:34 > 0:28:36and the Lake District and so on.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And until the blood-testing is carried out, the vets and
0:28:39 > 0:28:42scientists won't know how far the and disease has gone.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46So the tail is enormous. We're looking well into the autumn and winter, possibly 2002.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51The tail is almost longer and has more impact than the outbreak of the disease to start with.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55So far, Foot And Mouth has cost us,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58British taxpayers, more than £1 billion.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02This week, the government closed the chequebook, halting the disinfection
0:29:02 > 0:29:05of farms after realising just how much it was costing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Contractors on Edwin Harris's farm were ordered off, though they're
0:29:08 > 0:29:10only halfway through the job.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13He's no idea when - or if - they'll be back.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16We've got sheds with the sides ripped off, floors ripped up.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Someone has to pay and come back and replace them.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23And...I don't see why I should pay for that.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Yes, it's my business. But it is not my choice the sheep went.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29They could have been vaccinated and protected.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32It's not just those who've lost animals who are,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34like the taxpayer, counting the cost.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37There's been no Foot And Mouth on this farm near Welshpool.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42But it's three kilometres from an outbreak and has been under restriction since April.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45The movement of cattle and sheep, even from one field to another,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48has been limited and they can only be sold for slaughter.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Business is at a standstill. Had the farm got Foot And Mouth,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54there'd have been compensation for the animals killed.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Farmers who fall outside these compensation schemes
0:29:57 > 0:29:59feel abandoned by the government.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Though John Yeomans stresses he wouldn't want to change places
0:30:03 > 0:30:05with anyone who's seen their stock slaughtered.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09We're just deserted. Our borrowing's have gone up about 25,000.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11We've been very fortunate of the support of the bank.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Without that, I don't know what we'd have done.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16But the stress that we and the stock have been under
0:30:16 > 0:30:19because they've been confined, has been horrendous.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22The politicians or the people in MAFF or DEFRA, as it now is,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25can have any concept of what we've been going through.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29The National Audit Office is investigating the amount
0:30:29 > 0:30:33the government spent on Foot And Mouth to see if it's getting value for money.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36There is a feeling that some farmers have been
0:30:36 > 0:30:39over-compensated for lost stock. But Edwin Harris says it's wrong
0:30:39 > 0:30:43to see the payments farmers in his position have had as compensation.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Because of the timing of this cull, which is June,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48I won't be able to replace
0:30:48 > 0:30:52my stock until January. So I won't be able to buy ewes in the autumn,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54so I won't have any lambs next spring.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57In other words, the next lamb crop I'll sell off this farm
0:30:57 > 0:31:00will be two years this autumn, in two years' time.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03So, when you're talking compensation, who's compensating me
0:31:03 > 0:31:07to keep my family and everything ticking over tidy for two years?
0:31:07 > 0:31:10And it could take a lot longer for flocks
0:31:10 > 0:31:12to be re-established on the hills.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15The problems in the Beacons have coincided with serious
0:31:15 > 0:31:18concerns about the cost of this crisis to the taxpayer.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21In some other countries, farmers pay into an insurance scheme.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Here, the eventual bill for Foot And Mouth
0:31:24 > 0:31:26is expected to be more than £2 billion.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28It's a very large amount of money.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31I think there will be difficulties in the future.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33If we have an outbreak like this again,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36there'd be difficulties in terms of the public perception,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39of our carcass disposal, of cullings and so forth.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42We must think very carefully as to who in future should pay for it,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46whether there should be a compulsory insurance scheme perhaps and so on.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Sadly, the one thing we can't do,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51is guarantee that Foot And Mouth will never come back.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54And it'll be a while yet before we can guarantee that it's gone away.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58If more sheep in Wales, and Cumbria and Yorkshire, are found
0:31:58 > 0:32:01to have been exposed to this disease, then there'll be more culls
0:32:01 > 0:32:05and we could see more animals and more money going up in smoke.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Edwin is still farming in the Brecon Beacons,
0:32:11 > 0:32:12albeit with a smaller flock.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It took him four years to rebuild his livelihood
0:32:15 > 0:32:19after Foot And Mouth, but the memories will stay with him forever.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Edwin, that must have been an incredibly emotional
0:32:23 > 0:32:25and very frustrating time for you?
0:32:25 > 0:32:28It was. It was frustrating for everybody.
0:32:28 > 0:32:29We're all in the same boat.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32We're all neighbours. Stock all taken out.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35My sheep were all killed in this shed.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37And not wanting to take you back to such a dark place,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41but that day when they came to slaughter your sheep,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44what was the process? What happened that day?
0:32:44 > 0:32:48They were killed in here and that shed there, as I said.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51We were bringing sheep in with these dogs in groups,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53into pens, and they were killed.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Then we'd bring another group in and they'd kill them.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00That's the process. We started killing at about nine in the morning
0:33:00 > 0:33:05and we finished that night about seven o'clock. So it was a long day.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09And I'm imagining the noise must have been terrible of the gunshots?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12You heard the gunshots, but for days after,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15you could smell the smoke from the guns, if you like.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18In this building for days and days, it seemed,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20weeks, perhaps, but a long time.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23The reminder was constantly there.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Thinking back to that period, did you ever think there would be
0:33:26 > 0:33:29a time when you would fully recover from it?
0:33:29 > 0:33:31I don't think... Well, yes.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Obviously, you've got to fully recover and you've got to move on,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39but you don't forget, do you? The memories are there.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42You kind of brush them to one side and you move on.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44But you don't forget.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48And how did the different farmers in this area cope with Foot And Mouth?
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Did you chat to one another or was it something you suffered alone?
0:33:52 > 0:33:56We had to then because it involved all of us.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58The Beacons is a Grazers' Association.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It affected everybody.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02It was all discussed in meetings.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06"Which way are we going to go?" "Met DEFRA..." you can imagine.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Since then, if you like, it's...hardly referred to.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13We don't speak about it.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16It's something everyone wants to forget.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Did anything positive come out of it?
0:34:18 > 0:34:21We got together and we started off an organisation
0:34:21 > 0:34:24called the Welsh Commons Forum. Suddenly, you know,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28we do have a voice in what we're expected to look after.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32At the end of the day, you can't undermine the fact that
0:34:32 > 0:34:34to keep these hills in good heart,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37you're relying on the sheep, the grazing animal.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42But to have the grazing animal, you have to have the farmers.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43How is farming today then?
0:34:43 > 0:34:46How is it looking in 2009?
0:34:46 > 0:34:50I'm going to Llandovery market shortly and if you'd like to come
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- for a run with me, and I'll show you.- Perfect. Let's go.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06We're in the heart of upland hill farming country here
0:35:06 > 0:35:07and a couple of years ago,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10you might have caught sight of one man and his flock.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Let's catch up with Adam Henson in the second part
0:35:13 > 0:35:16of his geese droving adventure.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30It's half past six in the morning.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32I've got a good fire going.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33Tea's on the brew.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Last night,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38it just didn't stop raining all night long
0:35:38 > 0:35:41and I'm so pleased I've got a dry morning.
0:35:41 > 0:35:42I'll have a nice cup of tea.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49And I've also got a typical drover's breakfast.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Some nice, look at that, fatty bacon.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04There's no chance of a lie-in because I'm so worried about the geese.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Thankfully, all 40 are still there.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11The straw and tent have kept most of them dry, but Jemima is still muddy.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Peter's turned up to help me assess their condition.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17There's one there, Peter, that's still looking quite wet.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19Shall we catch it and dry it off a bit?
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Yes, I think that would be a good idea.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26GOOSE HONKS
0:36:28 > 0:36:32It doesn't seem to be particularly waterproof, does it?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36I think that's part of the problem with this bird.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38It hasn't got such good feathers.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42I did notice it when we were in the rain yesterday.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Whereas the other birds got white again, this bird didn't seem to be
0:36:46 > 0:36:50making any really good impression when it was trying to preen.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Her neck's nice and dry.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Eyes bright.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00She certainly feels very warm under her wings and things.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Probably warmer than I am!
0:37:02 > 0:37:04So you think they're fit and ready to go?
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Yes, I'm happy about them now.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08I wouldn't have been if we hadn't had the straw.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10It was most important to have that.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13But as they're dry now, I think we're all right.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16I was hoping for a few eggs this morning to go with my bacon.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19You'd be lucky in weather like this, wouldn't you?
0:37:19 > 0:37:23With miles of empty moorland ahead, we get under way.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Long grass makes for a slow waddling.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28It takes an hour to travel half a mile.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43With Jemima holding back, we take plenty of rest. This allows me
0:37:43 > 0:37:47to find out more droving tales from Richard, our historian.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Richard, why did the drovers decide to cross the moor
0:37:50 > 0:37:52when the going must have been pretty tough
0:37:52 > 0:37:54and they could have used the highways?
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Yes, there were lots of highways,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59but the problem was that from the 17th century onwards,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02many highways were turnpiked, which meant you had to pay
0:38:02 > 0:38:06tuppence for every animal that passed through the turnpikes.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09So, frequently drovers would choose these torturous mountain routes
0:38:09 > 0:38:12to avoid those tolls and they took a balanced view,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15"If I take my cattle along the turnpike and have to pay the toll,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18"perhaps I'll get them to market in better condition."
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Or they'd say, "In order to avoid the turnpikes,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23"I'll take the mountain roads and take a risk that
0:38:23 > 0:38:25"I'll lose condition."
0:38:47 > 0:38:51This is the goose that we dried off this morning with Peter, the vet.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55I think she's OK, but she seems to be hanging to the back of the flock
0:38:55 > 0:38:58the whole time. We've got a few miles to go, so I thought I'd just
0:38:58 > 0:39:00give her a lift, give her a helping hand.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26In the big wide open, I am isolated, but I don't feel alone.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31Hundreds of drovers and millions of animals have trodden this same track.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Most would have been the huge cattle droves
0:39:33 > 0:39:35bound for Smithfields in London.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Their spirits still seem alive on this moor.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Maud's ducking and darting keeps the geese
0:39:55 > 0:39:58on track over the hazardous pathways.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05After six hours, we're leaving open moorlands of South Wales behind,
0:40:05 > 0:40:06to head for Cilycwm,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09a village where many drovers have spent the night.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15All 40 geese are still with me and we're on target.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20After a quick wash and a swim, the birds seem revived.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22It's just Jemima who needs a helping hand.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29The villagers of Cilycwm come out to watch
0:40:29 > 0:40:33as I herd the geese down the main street.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40We've made it to Cilycwm that used to be a popular drovers' haunt,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43with five pubs catering for the herders and their beasts.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45There's now just one pub left.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47And that's where we're staying for the night.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58There you go, girls and boys, lovely spot to settle in for the night.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Now it's time for me to go and get a nice pint of beer.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09This is a well deserved pint after a long day.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Cheers. I really do need this.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Our daily routine is now firmly in place.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21First thing, Peter, our vet, checks the geese.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23They're looking very well this morning.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26We put them in a shed overnight because there are
0:41:26 > 0:41:30a lot of foxes in central Wales and we thought better safe than sorry.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33They look this morning almost as though they're on
0:41:33 > 0:41:36a Butlins holiday cruise. They're very comfortable
0:41:36 > 0:41:38and there's masses of grass to eat.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40No problems with the legs at all.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43So, hopefully we shall have another good day with them.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Sit, sit, sit.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Come on, geese. Here, Maud.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56We're off on our third and final day to the market place in Llandovery.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59There's quite a lot of roadwork and it's a fair way,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01so I hope they're all going to make it.
0:42:01 > 0:42:07Today's slow pace even suits Jemima, the runt of our flock.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10I'm beginning to think we might actually pull this journey off.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14The geese have come eight miles so far and there's just four more to go.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38I bet my last hunk of cheese
0:42:38 > 0:42:42that this is the first goose drove on this road for 100 years.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46When the last drovers came through, these trees would have been saplings.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52When we set out, Llandovery seemed a far away goal.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56We've trekked through forests, over moors and down country lanes.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01Some said we'd never get 40 geese over the 12 miles,
0:43:01 > 0:43:05but we're all still together, even Jemima, and we're nearly there.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10After our three-day journey we've reached Llandovery
0:43:10 > 0:43:12and the procession of geese is going to
0:43:12 > 0:43:16lead us down to the market place where I'm going to meet the mayor.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23They look very tame.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26- They've quietened down nicely. - They are nice!
0:43:26 > 0:43:29- They're not flustered by the people or anything, are they?- No.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34That's it, keep nice and clear now so we come through,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37we don't want to worry the geese too much. Thank you.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47The mayor is just over there, so I'll go and say hello to her.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57- Hello, you must be the mayor. - I am indeed. How do you do?
0:43:57 > 0:43:59And you've done this wonderful journey.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02We've had a fantastic trip. We walked them right over
0:44:02 > 0:44:04the top of the moor and then down into town.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07We've had a lovely trip. I've got a little something for you.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12Drovers used to carry letters. We've got a letter of thanks for you here.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13That's delightful.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18What a lovely idea. Look at that! I'm absolutely thrilled with that.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20- Thank you very much. - Thank you for welcoming us.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23it's been a great trip for me and the geese and the dog.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25I think it's a wonderful achievement.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Give the geese a round of applause, they've walked for three days.
0:44:38 > 0:44:43When the crowds disperse, I walk the final part of my drovers' way.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47200 years ago, my flock of 40 geese would have been a tiny number in
0:44:47 > 0:44:52comparison to the hundreds of birds, cows and sheep walked here by others.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Drovers would swap tales and drink beer in this buzzing market square
0:44:56 > 0:44:58as they waited to sell their animals.
0:45:03 > 0:45:09Today it's traffic, not animals, that fill Llandovery's streets.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15But the drovers are this town's historical heroes
0:45:15 > 0:45:17and reminders of them are everywhere.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28Well, we've made it to Llandovery, so I suppose that's the end
0:45:28 > 0:45:32of our epic journey. It's certainly a trip I'll never forget.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Now it's time for the geese to return to their farm and me to mine.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Over the last three days, I feel like I've stepped back in time
0:45:39 > 0:45:43and just got a taste of what it must have been like to be a drover.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06I've made it to Llandovery, too.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11The final stop on my journey across the Brecon Beacons National Park.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Local farmer Edwin Harris has brought me along to the market.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24How important are these markets?
0:46:24 > 0:46:26The livestock markets through the country
0:46:26 > 0:46:29are a vital part of the farming industry.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Without them, I think the industry would die.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Obviously, during Foot And Mouth they were closed down.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37The whole place ground to a halt. Did that really affect it?
0:46:37 > 0:46:42It did, especially with the Foot And Mouth areas where you couldn't travel anyway.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Not be able to move the livestock around?
0:46:44 > 0:46:48No. We were totally reliant on supermarkets then to buy stock.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Do you remember when the markets reopened after that terrible time?
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- Yes.- What was the mood like?
0:46:55 > 0:46:56Very pleased
0:46:56 > 0:46:59because we had our markets back.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Are you likely to actually be buying anything today?
0:47:02 > 0:47:05I doubt it because of the time of the year.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09You'll see a fairly good trade today, but of course time will tell
0:47:09 > 0:47:12and if we go inside we'll know what happens, won't we?
0:47:12 > 0:47:17£4, 4.20, 4.20, 4.50, 4.50, 4.80, 4.80,
0:47:17 > 0:47:214.80, £5 - at £5.20.
0:47:21 > 0:47:265.20, 5.50, 5.50, 5.50, at £5.50.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30And on same pen. 47, what a lovely pen of lambs these are.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34All new lambs and look at them and all farm-assured now.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38It's incredibly fast but I'm just getting a handle
0:47:38 > 0:47:41on the different type of sheep and lambs.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45These are for store, so the prices go slightly lower.
0:47:45 > 0:47:497.50, and 52...
0:47:49 > 0:47:53It's an extraordinary atmosphere because you've got the farmers,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56you've got the supermarket buyers and they're all watching out
0:47:56 > 0:47:59to see who's selling what for what sort of price.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02It's an amazing atmosphere. It's very social here.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08And the biggest surprise of all is that despite grim global economics,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11the trade here is booming.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15The two lambs I brought in, they were meant to be keeping on as rams,
0:48:15 > 0:48:16but I didn't see them good enough.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20I thought I'd sell them today because the prices are quite high
0:48:20 > 0:48:22and they made £80, so I was quite happy.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25But there were only two, it's a pity there weren't 100,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27you know, but there we are!
0:48:27 > 0:48:31No, trade's good. Everybody seems happy and smiling, so it's not bad.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35I bought 20 hoggets in and they averaged...
0:48:35 > 0:48:40£80 - about £80 apiece.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Some of the smallest ones were in the 40s,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46but the majority in the 80s.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50They're probably £20 up on this time last year.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51£20 better off.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55Yes, which we could do with.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58I wish I'd bought some sheep to make some money, yes.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01As I was telling you earlier,
0:49:01 > 0:49:04empty pockets. That's the story of my life!
0:49:10 > 0:49:13What's your first reaction to today's sales?
0:49:13 > 0:49:17First reaction? It's been a decent sale this morning, to be honest.
0:49:17 > 0:49:18Trade is back up from last week.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21A bit more spirited bidding, less numbers about.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Drawn a few extra customers out today.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27We've had a very nice show of lambs here today, to be honest.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29It's reflected in the price, really.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30So some very happy farmers
0:49:30 > 0:49:33and you as an auctioneer must be happy as well.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- For a change, yes, we're all happy! - Thank you very much.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41So, how come the farmers are smiling while the bankers are sobbing?
0:49:41 > 0:49:45I met up with National Farmers' Union county chairman,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Bernard Llewellyn, to find out.
0:49:47 > 0:49:52What I'm interested to see today is that while the country is dipping
0:49:52 > 0:49:57into economic turmoil, farming seems to be on the up. Why is that?
0:49:57 > 0:49:59I think you must be aware that in reality
0:49:59 > 0:50:02WE'VE been on the dip for a very long time.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Really, primarily, certainly today because of the value of the Euro
0:50:05 > 0:50:10against world currency, we're seeing the advantage at last
0:50:10 > 0:50:12coming through to us as farmers.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Anybody producing anything in the UK at the moment
0:50:16 > 0:50:18is going to be at an advantage.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Because it's going to cost, particularly supermarkets
0:50:21 > 0:50:24in our case, more money to buy in from abroad.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28Also as producers we can compete with those farmers from abroad as well.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32So while the rest of the country is suffering an economic downturn,
0:50:32 > 0:50:34farming is coming out of recession?
0:50:34 > 0:50:37We hope that it's coming out of recession anyway.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40I think it's a very complicated equation, isn't it?
0:50:40 > 0:50:44It's about the value of the pound against other world currencies,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47it's also about the attitude of banks.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Farming has always been a very, very poor return on capital invested,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53particularly owner-occupiers.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57But now we're seeing a change in that banks are starting to get nervous
0:50:57 > 0:51:01about assets that people have, because in reality we're actually
0:51:01 > 0:51:03very asset-rich it means that
0:51:03 > 0:51:07we're probably being looked on in a bit more of a friendly way now.
0:51:07 > 0:51:112001 was an incredibly bleak period for the entire farming community.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15Did you or could you imagine a time when farming would bounce back?
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Well, you have to. You really wouldn't be a farmer
0:51:19 > 0:51:22if you didn't have SOME faith in what was going on.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25All right, Foot And Mouth was a huge problem,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28but we've had problems every bit as bad as that in the past.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Certainly that was the straw that broke the camel's back at the time,
0:51:32 > 0:51:34but it certainly wasn't an issue
0:51:34 > 0:51:38that we never felt we could come back from.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45Travelling the length and breadth of this National Park
0:51:45 > 0:51:49has given me a real insight into the people and the places
0:51:49 > 0:51:51that have shaped the Brecon Beacons.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54And for an area that was so badly hit by Foot And Mouth
0:51:54 > 0:51:59it seems all the more deserving that farming is finally back on its feet.
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