0:00:20 > 0:00:22Today, I'm taking a journey across South Wales,
0:00:22 > 0:00:27from the rugged cliffs of Pembrokeshire to the nation's capital Cardiff.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36'Pembrokeshire is home to some of the country's most beautiful beaches.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'The water may be chilly, in spite of the Gulf Stream,
0:00:39 > 0:00:44but what the beaches like in warmth they more than make up for in sheer drama.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'My journey starts in Tenby, on the Pembrokeshire coast,
0:00:50 > 0:00:55where a former interior designer has taken up and zookeeping.'
0:00:55 > 0:00:57ANIMAL COUGHS
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Oh! Are you having a cough? No.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03It's a wee warning noise, I think.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'From there, I'll move further along the coast to Laugharne,
0:01:07 > 0:01:13'home for a short time to Wales's best-known poet, Dylan Thomas.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'After that, my journey continues to Llanharry,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18'where a local resident has been growing
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'some unfeasibly large vegetables.'
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm a poor man, but I feel like a millionaire.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29'And finally I arrive in Cardiff, the principality's capital,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32'to try out some medieval martial arts.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:39Along the way, I'll be looking back at some of the best of the BBC's rural programmes from this area.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40SHE SIGHS
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51'There are more Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches in Pembrokeshire
0:01:51 > 0:01:56than any other county, providing a haven for both holidaymakers and wildlife.'
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It's said that in the UK, nowhere is more than two hours from a beach,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06and for walking, exploring and wildlife-watching, it's hard to beat Pembrokeshire.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11But I'm going to start my journey by meeting some animals that are not indigenous to this area.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37This is Manor House Wildlife Park.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Four years ago, it was bought by interior designer Anna Ryder Richardson.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45She's lived here with her family, among the animals, ever since.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48She used to change rooms. Now, she's changing a zoo.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'The park was the subject of a television programme
0:02:54 > 0:02:58'showing the difficulties of getting such a large project off the ground.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:02'I'm dropping in to find out how things have been going since then.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:08- Hello, Anna.- Hi.- Thank you for having me in your kingdom.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Aw, it's so peaceful at the moment.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- This is the quiet before the storm, before the visitors arrive.- Yes.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Why a zoo? How do you go from interior design to a zoo?
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Sometimes I'm like, "How did that happen?" I don't know. It literally was somebody mentioning
0:03:23 > 0:03:26the word zoo, wildlife park, were we interested?
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And I went, "Yes!" And that was it.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- And you brought your whole family here.- Yep.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34What did they think about it?
0:03:34 > 0:03:38I think Bibi and Dixie were like, "Great, we're going to live in a zoo."
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Erm, and Colin, who's a big Glaswegian, restaurateur,
0:03:42 > 0:03:47never left Glasgow in his life, said, "That's ridiculous. I'm not going."
0:03:47 > 0:03:49But he did!
0:03:49 > 0:03:51You've got 52 acres, a huge collection of animals.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Who is involved in running it?
0:03:54 > 0:03:59Colin is really the man who runs the whole place.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I've tried, but he won't let me. He won't let me, basically.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05"I won't work with my wife plus, you're rubbish!"
0:04:05 > 0:04:12We've got Ross Brown, our head keeper, and he's just adorable. He talks very fast.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15But he just knows everything. He has taught me so much.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Have you always loved animals?
0:04:17 > 0:04:21I've always loved horses. Since I was born, I wanted a horse.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25You won't remember these things, but Champion the Wonder Horse, Black Beauty.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I knew there were seven Black Beauties in the titles and only one had a real star.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- Did anyone get me one? No. - So you got a zoo.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39I had to wait until I was 45 years old. I'm older than that now. It's OK.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42And I have got six now.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44It all seems like it's under control now.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Has it always been like this?
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Can you remember the calm before the storm before starting this adventure?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54God. Three years. It feels 300 million years ago.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59I don't know whether this is an age thing or living-in-a-zoo thing, but everything goes so fast.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It looks peaceful and under control now, but it isn't,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and it certainly wasn't three years ago.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'The zoo opens in just two hours' time.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Stop it! Blue! He's been done, as well.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Just a bit of fun, Mum.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24That needs a wipe. So they like it?
0:05:24 > 0:05:29- They are not going to be there at ten o'clock today, are they? - Buses.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- What bus? A coach? Is coming at ten?- Yes.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36We need another day or two
0:05:36 > 0:05:41to get things like that away.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44No food anywhere today.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The tepees should be out, they're not.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54It's not a game. It's my clothes. No! Drop!
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Drop!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59There we are. One thing leads to another and off they go.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Colin does all the business. Colin does all the worrying.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09And I go, "It would be really nice if we could paint that white
0:06:09 > 0:06:14and a couple of bits of lavender there and let's get some pigs!"
0:06:17 > 0:06:23It'll all change. Once he hears "ding". The first ticket sale.
0:06:23 > 0:06:29Just getting the whole place up and running is like a big, heavy bar of concrete.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Once it starts, it won't stop.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33SHE GASPS
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Can you see what I can see?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40'The gates are finally open.'
0:06:40 > 0:06:43A coach. Is it ten o'clock?
0:06:44 > 0:06:48'This season is under way and the first customers are buying their tickets.'
0:06:48 > 0:06:50'Colin is holding the fort at the till
0:06:50 > 0:06:54while Anna is supposed to be meeting and greeting the first visitors.'
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- Hello.- Hello.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- Hello.- Hello.- Hello.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Hi. Did you want to go in with the wallabies?
0:07:02 > 0:07:05HE SIGHS
0:07:05 > 0:07:06I need a coffee.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- Can we have a photo?- Yes. Like this?- Yes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I'm just going to show them how to light the fire
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and then I'm coming back to the front gate.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- You can send that to daddy. - Ah!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I'm pleased that there are people here.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I'm very pleased there are people here, because we don't know.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34At least there's a good, healthy throughput of people already. We have to take the positives.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36In you come, boys.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'Manor House has been a zoo since 1975.'
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'But the new owners are trying to do things differently.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:51That's it. Do you want to leave your pushchair here, otherwise they get in it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52LAUGHTER
0:07:52 > 0:07:56And before you know it, you'll be pushing a lemur down the road.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Right. It's quite busy in here.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05'One of the major features of the zoo's makeover are the walk-throughs,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08where the public can interact with the animals.'
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Hello.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'Anna I wants her Tenby zoo to play a part in conservation
0:08:12 > 0:08:15by helping to breed rare and endangered species.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:20There's not that many in here. There will be lots more, but we don't want to flood it.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25There we are. Oh, I just want to kiss them so much.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30We have ring-tailed lemurs and we've red-belly lemurs.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Oh, I want to tickle that belly, but I can't!
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Madagascar, which is where they all come from.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Highly threatened.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41HE COUGHS Oh!
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Are you having a cough? No.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's a wee warning noise. Is it because I was talking about Madagascar?
0:08:48 > 0:08:49HE SQUEAKS I know.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Because they're chopping down the forest, chopping down your habitat.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55It's not going to be there any more. HE SQUEAKS
0:08:55 > 0:08:58This is why we're doing it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02This is why Colin and I are completely broke and hate each other(!)
0:09:02 > 0:09:04SHE CHUCKLES
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'No matter what the cost, Ann is determined the zoo will succeed.'
0:09:09 > 0:09:13This is the jewel in our crown at the moment.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17This is where people can really understand what we are all about
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and if it means they come here just for this and experience it
0:09:20 > 0:09:25and go away with a beam on their face, and they come back, it means we can do more.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29'She's trying to turn the way we think about zoos on its head.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We are in their house, in their territory,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and they are observing us, rather than the other way around.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39So, all these people are just visiting.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43And should be observing and enjoying it. They're being lemurs, really.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45It's freedom.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57'Two years on and the lemurs are well ensconced in their walk-through.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03Head keeper Ross Brown has joined Anna and myself to explain more of their zoo philosophy.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06We could not be any closer to the animals. Look!
0:10:06 > 0:10:09If I lay down I could touch him, but I shouldn't do that.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- They don't like being touched.- Don't kiss them. I'm not allowed to.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- You learnt that the hard way?- Yeah. Not unless you're not looking.- Yeah.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But this is a totally different philosophy.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23This is a new way and looking at zoos, being able to walk amongst them like this.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27- Is it working out for you? - Yeah. This is their freedom.- Yes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32- This is their home and we are in their territory, really.- Yeah.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37The way I like to say it is all we are to them is traffic.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43The reason why we don't let people touch them or feed them is that you have...
0:10:44 > 0:10:47You have no effect on their behaviour.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51We're all laughing because look at the lemur. He's...
0:10:51 > 0:10:52SHE LAUGHS
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I love how relaxed they are. I'm not going to touch them.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57I'm just going to get close.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Oh, they look quite chilled out.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Are they all right about me being so close to them?
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Yeah, they are fine. You can get as close as possible to them,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12as long as you don't touch them, they don't see you as a threat.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15You're just there to them. That's what's nice about it. This is their home.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19They spend all the time in here. This is new, so they are investigating it.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20That's what they're doing.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Did it take them long to get used to been this close to people?
0:11:24 > 0:11:26The public wander through their home.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29If people wandered through my living room, I'd be unhappy.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Because this has been established for a few years.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and these animals have been getting used to it.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Initially, the first year was stressful.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41They were getting used to the environment, people wandering through.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47But now we've established the guide rules as to how people are to act when they are in here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49They're much more relaxed.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52In an old fashioned zoo, you would lean up to the cage
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and you wouldn't be able to interact with them like this.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Was this zoo like that when you first took it over?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Very much so.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05There are still many zoos like that, where it's the wrong way round.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09The animals are almost there on show in a small enclosure
0:12:09 > 0:12:11so you cannot miss them.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12And you can literally spend...
0:12:12 > 0:12:17I think two seconds was the average time people would stand in front of an animal.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Whereas here, you are in their environment,
0:12:20 > 0:12:25so you have to sit and observe them doing what they would normally do on a daily basis.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Have you got more walk-throughs in the zoo?
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Oh, yes. The wallaby walk-through is popular. It's at the beginning.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42You can feed the wallabies.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45We have the African walk-through as well, which we could go into now.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- Yeah.- Stroke the pygmy goat.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01'Anna was inspired to create the African village after spending time there.'
0:13:01 > 0:13:03'It seems she has a love of Africa.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:10'As well as the Madagascan lemurs, the zoo boasts oryx, ostrich and zebras.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Everything in the park has to have an education slant to it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19There are a couple of roles for wildlife parks, zoos, now
0:13:19 > 0:13:23which are insurance policies for species that are being wiped out daily.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28Breeding programmes and education. It's all about education.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31So if we do nothing but educate a child, then we're doing something.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39'I admire Anna's style - freedom for the animals and education for the kids.'
0:13:42 > 0:13:46'Just off the Pembrokeshire coast, Skomer Island is a seabird paradise.'
0:13:46 > 0:13:51'Miranda Krestovnikoff came to see its existing residents and its new rivals.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I've visited Skomer quite a few times and it's lovely to be back.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Every time I come here, I've got to get to know the island all over again.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07It's ever-changing. It's a place of so many different facets.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'One of the most precarious habitat's is the Wick,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15a sheer cliff with ledges ideally suited to nesting birds -
0:14:15 > 0:14:20razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:26'I'm going to explore this fantastic abundance of birdlife, not just by day, but at night, too.'
0:14:29 > 0:14:32In daylight, it's puffins that rule the roost.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34And it's not rocky sea cliffs
0:14:34 > 0:14:38but rabbit burrows that's their idea of a perfect des res.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41This is one of the most important puffin colonies
0:14:41 > 0:14:43in north-western Europe.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47The best way to appreciate the puffins' lifestyle
0:14:47 > 0:14:49is to get in the water with them.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Island warden Jo Milborrow is going to help me snorkel right up-close.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54I'm absolutely dying to get in.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's been such a warm day, the water's been so inviting
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- and there's loads and loads of puffins behind us. - Yeah. They're great, aren't they?
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- Let's hope we can get close. - Hopefully they'll come over and have a little look at us. After you.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- It's cool!- It's very cool!
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- That's chilly.- It's very chilly!
0:15:17 > 0:15:22'Puffins are easily spooked, so we have to be patient and move slowly.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24'But we're soon rewarded with a rare chance
0:15:24 > 0:15:27'of swimming within just a few feet of them.'
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'Some of Skomer's grey seals are lounging nearby.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'But, for me, it's the puffins that steal the show.'
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Absolutely surrounded by puffins, maybe just six feet away from me.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Some of them just skimming over the top of my head. Incredible.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that I was there. Maybe I just fooled them I was a seal.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03'Puffins certainly steal the limelight during the daytime...
0:16:05 > 0:16:09'..But Skomer attracts vast numbers of globetrotters
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'who are much harder to spot until night falls.'
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Every summer, Skomer welcomes back a flock of old friends -
0:16:16 > 0:16:18birds from the island who've travelled way out
0:16:18 > 0:16:23to the coast of South America, a round trip of 18,000 miles.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27And they come back year to the island often to within just a few feet
0:16:27 > 0:16:29of where they were born to mate and breed.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I'm in search of one of the greatest adventurers of the animal kingdom -
0:16:33 > 0:16:35the Manx shearwater.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'This tiny island off Wales becomes an extraordinary landing strip
0:16:42 > 0:16:46'for Manx shearwaters, returning after winter from fisheries
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'far down in the South Atlantic.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'Because they're shy, nocturnal birds,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57'you'd be hard-pushed to see them in daylight.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'But, as the sun sets, the atmosphere really changes.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:03BIRDS CALLING
0:17:03 > 0:17:06'That cacophony means the Manx shearwaters are arriving
0:17:06 > 0:17:10'in their thousands, and I can just glimpse them in the darkness.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18'Professor Tim Guildford is going to help me get a closer look.'
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- They're everywhere, aren't they? - They are. The place is littered with them.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And this guy has probably just landed.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I'm guessing this is a non-breeder.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- Fabulous!- This one's probably just a recent prospect
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- who is looking to mate. - He's beautiful, isn't he?
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Can see on the top of the beak these two little holes?
0:17:50 > 0:17:55- These nostrils are actually salt-excreting glands. - Like a storm petrel.- Absolutely.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00So that allows this whole family of birds to live in the open ocean
0:18:00 > 0:18:04without ever having to drink, so they can essentially just
0:18:04 > 0:18:07either create their own water metabolically, or they can
0:18:07 > 0:18:11excrete salt sufficiently not to need fresh water.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15They look a bit hopeless on land. The legs are placed
0:18:15 > 0:18:18so far back on the body that they can't balance well.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21They flatten themselves out, don't they?
0:18:21 > 0:18:26- They are sort of waddling very low. - Yeah.- Very strange gait, isn't it?
0:18:26 > 0:18:27- Very strange gait. - SHE LAUGHS
0:18:30 > 0:18:35'There are more than 100,000 breeding pairs on Skomer.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'And nest cameras are providing new insights
0:18:37 > 0:18:39'into how they rear their young.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42'Researchers like Tim have tagged the birds
0:18:42 > 0:18:44'with electronic geolocators.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:47OK, that's great.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Out you come.- Brilliant.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- So, this is one of the tagged birds. - On this leg...
0:18:54 > 0:18:56That's the geolocator there?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- On this leg is the geolocating device.- It's so small!
0:18:58 > 0:19:00It's a bit perturbed now.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04'The electronic log of this bird's position is downloaded
0:19:04 > 0:19:06'to produce detailed maps.'
0:19:06 > 0:19:09This tells us, for every day and night of the year,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11where the bird has been.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15So, at last now, we can reconstruct its entire migratory journey.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19The male is the black one and the female is the purple one.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24What we see is an outward migration down the west coast of Africa,
0:19:24 > 0:19:30across to Brazil, and then down to Argentina to overwinter.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32They had back then in the early spring,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37they take slightly different routes, but what you do see is this
0:19:37 > 0:19:41extraordinary curve through the Caribbean. They don't come back the way he went out.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46- Isn't that incredible they're not doing the same journey there and back?- It is.- I wonder why.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Well, we think they're exploiting the North Atlantic currents,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52these circular currents.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55So, the currents and the weather systems move like this
0:19:55 > 0:19:58so they're basically following weather systems,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00making it efficient, using the winds.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06'And soon they're off back out to sea.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10'By daybreak, the shearwaters have vanished.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15'Perhaps the most remarkable secret of this magical seabird sanctuary
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'on the Pembrokeshire coast.'
0:20:22 > 0:20:27'Miranda Krestovnikoff and the beautiful birds of Skomer Island.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'My journey continues along the coast to Laugharne,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34'the occasional home of a great Welsh poet.'
0:20:42 > 0:20:451953 was an interesting year.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49The Coronation happened, Stalin died, Everest was conquered
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and Dylan Thomas, one of Wales' greatest literary heroes,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55was spending the last few weeks of his life
0:20:55 > 0:20:57here on the south coast of Wales.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03'In my craft or sullen art
0:21:03 > 0:21:06'Exercised in the still night When only the moon rages
0:21:06 > 0:21:10'And the lovers lie abed With all their griefs in their arms,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14'I labour by singing light Not for ambition or bread
0:21:14 > 0:21:18'Or the strut and trade of charms On the ivory stages
0:21:18 > 0:21:22'But for the common wages Of their most secret heart.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:25He lived here with his wife and family
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and it was the spectacular views from this boathouse
0:21:28 > 0:21:31that inspired some of Dylan Thomas' greatest works,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Including Under Milk Wood, Fern Hill and In My Craft or Sullen Art.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42'Not for the proud man apart From the raging moon I write
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'On these spindrift pages Nor for the towering dead
0:21:45 > 0:21:51'With their nightingales and psalms But for the lovers, their arms
0:21:51 > 0:21:56'Round the griefs of the ages, Who pay no praise or wages
0:21:56 > 0:21:59'Nor heed my craft or art.'
0:22:01 > 0:22:05His flamboyant and evocative use of language
0:22:05 > 0:22:10created poetry and prose of gothic, mystical and surrealist imagery.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12His writing shed here on the clifftop
0:22:12 > 0:22:14is where he could most often be found.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Hello, John.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'Jon Treganna is a curator at The Boathouse,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28'which is steeped in the history of Dylan's life.'
0:22:31 > 0:22:36- Jon, it really is like stepping back in time coming in here.- Yeah, it is.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40How different is it now to how it would have looked when Dylan Thomas lived here?
0:22:40 > 0:22:43This house was bought for them by Margaret Taylor,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46an American actress who was a big fan of Dylan's.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49So, when they move in, it would have been plain, cold and damp.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54One of the first things they did was - Caitlin and Dylan were very bohemian, very vibrant.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57You don't get that in black-and-white images, but...
0:22:57 > 0:23:02He'd go out talking to local farmers and he'd have purple trousers on
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and she would have a dress made out of curtains. They were really vibrant people
0:23:05 > 0:23:08so they painted the walls bright colours and they got rugs
0:23:08 > 0:23:14- and they begged, borrowed and stole all furniture they could get. - Tonight is a relatively warm
0:23:14 > 0:23:19summer's evening, golden sunshine, but I imagine on winter's night this place could feel very bleak.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24It would have been freezing. There was no central heating. Today, you can put the heating on.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29They had nothing like that then. There would've been coal fires. But the house is right on the coast,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33it's exposed, you've got all the winds. When Dylan went to write in the shed,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38he probably went to warm up because the shed was tiny and he had a little coal stove in there.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43This house was busy. It was full of children, it was full of Caitlin and friends,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47it was full of people dropping in, there was a housekeeper here, there were dogs.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50This was a noisy house. The man needed his peace and quiet to work.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Caitlin, I think, is undervalued in the impact she had.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03He used to run a lot of material past her to get her approval.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07I think it was very important to Dylan that Caitlin not only loved him passionately as a woman
0:24:07 > 0:24:10but also admired him as a writer.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And in real life then when business had to be done,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15was she quite strict?
0:24:15 > 0:24:19If he didn't deliver poetry or a story or a broadcast to the BBC,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23they wouldn't have any money. So, if he had a deadline, she'd march him up to the shed,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26she'd lock him in at 2pm in the afternoon
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and then come back and get him at 7pm in the evening,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32with nothing but his work and the coal fire
0:24:32 > 0:24:36and maybe a bucket for company.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- How did he write poetry? Was it easy for him?- No, no.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42It was terribly difficult, yes.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47He used to go into his little shed and scrape and scratch and mutter and mumble...
0:24:47 > 0:24:52..in tone and change. He was frightfully slow, you know.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55In one afternoon, from about two till seven, he might have
0:24:55 > 0:24:59done just one line or taken out one word or put in one word.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06He had a bit of a rock 'n' roll image though, didn't he?
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Yeah. I mean, when he went to New York in the '50s, he was mobbed in the streets.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14People asking for autographs, women throwing themselves at him.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18He wasn't the best looking guy in the world, but had charisma. People wanted to be with him.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's hard to marry that image with this lifestyle
0:25:21 > 0:25:26because it's a beautiful home, but it's very basic and it's in the middle of nowhere.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29But I think it's what happens when you take any kind of simple soul
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and give them that level of fame.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I think that's as much today now as it was then, you know.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40But when he was back here, he was diligent and hard-working. He was a caring, family man.
0:25:42 > 0:25:49'Dylan Thomas left the boathouse on 8 October 1953 and went to America,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53never to return to Wales. Just one month later, he died.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'Further along the coast is Swansea, a town with a great
0:26:00 > 0:26:04'metalworking tradition that's been carried on for generations.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'It was nicknamed "Copperopolis"
0:26:07 > 0:26:11'because an amazing two thirds of the world's copper was once produced here.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15'Mark Horton uncovers the story of the area's metal monopoly.'
0:26:17 > 0:26:21'I'm here to discover an alchemist's ancient secret
0:26:21 > 0:26:26'that once made Swansea the copper capital of the world.'
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Open it at the bottom, close it at the top.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33'Eddie Daughton is an experimental archaeologist.'
0:26:33 > 0:26:35This is a lot of fun, isn't it?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- Erm, to start with! - THEY LAUGH
0:26:38 > 0:26:41'We're using 4,000 year old methods
0:26:41 > 0:26:45'to rediscover the magic of turning rock into metal.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'The Welsh knew the secret and Eddie thinks he's cracked it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55'First, we have to get the fire hot enough,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58'and it's not as easy as it looks.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:03- So, if you want to stop bellowing. - Phew! That's exhausting!
0:27:03 > 0:27:06So, what's the recipe to make copper?
0:27:06 > 0:27:10For this furnace, it's about 10 kilograms of charcoal,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14half a kilogram of copper ore...
0:27:16 > 0:27:19..and a little tiny bit of ironstone.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And we should end up making a quarter of a kilogram of copper,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25maybe not quite that much.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30So, what you're seeing is you need 10 times as much fuel
0:27:30 > 0:27:35- and carbon to make copper than the copper ore itself?- Yeah.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So that explains why Swansea's here
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- where there's masses of coal. - Masses of carbon.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44FOLK MUSIC
0:27:44 > 0:27:48'Put together copper ore with coal to make the metal
0:27:48 > 0:27:52'and the sea to transport it, and you get a winning formula.'
0:27:53 > 0:27:58- Do you think this is going to work? - With luck...yes.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- I'm deeply sceptical. - It's so simple! Believe!
0:28:01 > 0:28:05'As Swansea's metalworkers mastered the art of copper extraction,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09'a city grew from primitive beginnings
0:28:09 > 0:28:11into a scene of satanic industry.'
0:28:15 > 0:28:17'By the late 18th-century,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22'the whole of the Towy Valley was filled with smelters.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26'The works operated day and night, producing sulphurous fumes
0:28:26 > 0:28:31'so horrendous that downwind the land is still toxic to this day.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39'These docks were built to expand the trade still further.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47'200 years ago, Swansea's copper was in demand.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50'Who was after it? The Royal Navy.'
0:28:50 > 0:28:54- Hello, David.- Hello, Mark! Croeso i Tywi.- Oh, fantastic!
0:28:54 > 0:28:57'David Jenkins knows the story
0:28:57 > 0:29:01'of the city's copper-bottomed deal with Nelson's Navy.'
0:29:01 > 0:29:06This is an ingot of pure copper, as would have been produced in Swansea.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- That's pure copper? - That is pure copper.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12That was the essential copper.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17- What did they need it for in the 19th century?- The main use of copper was this.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19This is what gave Nelson's navy
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- massive tactical advantages. - Fantastic.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23It's a sheet of copper ore
0:29:23 > 0:29:26from the hull of HMS Victory.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28You can see, Vivian & Sons, Swansea.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Look, I can see. And the number, 2802.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34That's right, yes. Copper ore
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and obviously copper itself was very valuable,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39but its value was not so much monetary as tactical.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43The manoeuvring that took place before the Battle of Trafalgar
0:29:43 > 0:29:45owed a great deal of its success
0:29:45 > 0:29:49to the fact that Nelson's ships had this on their bottoms.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51It means that no weeds grow on the hull of your ship.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55The water slips much more quickly over the hull of the ship,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59and therefore it gave the ship excellent manoeuvrability.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Swansea's dominance of the world copper trade
0:30:03 > 0:30:05meant that the Royal Navy
0:30:05 > 0:30:10had copper-bottomed boats that the French didn't.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14A tactical advantage that could be traced back 4,000 years
0:30:14 > 0:30:19to those prehistoric Welsh experiments in metallurgy.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28Now, have we managed to rediscover the secrets of their success?
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- Carry on pumping?- Carry on pumping.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33- You must have a stitch by now. - Just a bit.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Do you think you've got copper?
0:30:35 > 0:30:37I think so. I hope so,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39but I'm not giving any guarantees.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43- OK.- All right, I'm going to stop pumping.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- Keep pumping.- Right.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53OK, stop pumping. Get round the other side with the stick.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Whoa!- Whoa!- Isn't that fantastic?
0:31:09 > 0:31:11That's it.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16That is probably frozen by now.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20I can probably pick that up with the tongs. That is copper.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- A small ingot of copper. - A small lump of copper.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26It's absolutely incredible when you think of the energy
0:31:26 > 0:31:30and that effort that's gone into winning a metal.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Needless to say, don't try that at home.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39My journey which began in Pembrokeshire
0:31:39 > 0:31:41at the coastal resort of Tenby
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and continued to Laugharne in Carmarthenshire
0:31:44 > 0:31:46has now reached Mid-Glamorgan.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Just up the road from Pontyclun
0:31:52 > 0:31:55in the Welsh valleys is the little village of Llanharry.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58It's typical of the south of Wales in that it has links with mining,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02a working men's club, and of course, a rugby team.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05It also has some rather impressive vegetables,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09and I am talking giant vegetables.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Local man and gardener Philip Vowles has been growing
0:32:21 > 0:32:24giant vegetables for over a quarter of a century.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31He exhibits in the Llanharry Giant Vegetable Show, and wins nearly every year.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Last year, he grew a 300lb pumpkin.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37His 128lb marrow nearly smashed the world record.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40But don't worry, his 1990 cucumber
0:32:40 > 0:32:44did make the Guinness Book of Records,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47weighing in at 18lbs, five and three-quarter ounces.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Yeah, I grew a very good marrow last year,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52just a pound from the world record.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56But it split on me. That's the joy of growing.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59You get some bad luck and you get some good luck,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01and I had the bad luck last year.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04And it's not just Philip that gets involved.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06The whole family does too,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08including his grandchildren.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Look at that!
0:33:19 > 0:33:24Granddad's vegetables are much nicer than the shop vegetables.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37I'm really proud of my grandpa growing all this veg all himself.
0:33:37 > 0:33:43He's put a lot towards it, you know. He's up here most of the time.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46You hardly get to see him because he's working so hard up here.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50And what he does, I'm really proud of him.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Philip's brothers grow giant veg too,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56and can be a bit competitive with him.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Philip, are you going to give us our plants
0:33:59 > 0:34:02a little bit earlier this year than last year?
0:34:02 > 0:34:04You can have them at the same time
0:34:04 > 0:34:08- as I plant them.- Last year, we were six weeks behind you.- Right.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15So the pounds we were down on in the show...
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- ..we would have made up in them six weeks.- You're just making excuses.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Philip's prize-winning allotment is tucked away
0:34:24 > 0:34:27at the back of his house.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29He's very proud of his rows and rows of vegetables.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Well, let me show you my allotment.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39It's a bit of ground I've tidied up 40 years ago.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I grow a bit of everything.
0:34:44 > 0:34:51Mainly for the house originally, because I've got a large family,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and we try to supply them all.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Then I decided I'd go into growing giant veg,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59and I've had a lot of fun out of it.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03I grow a lot of stuff, as you can see. I've got my strawberries.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I grow a lot of flower plants.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10I've got some nice lettuce, which I supply the whole family with.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12I've got my garlic, my onion bed.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18And these are my giant cabbage, which I'm very proud of.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20I've had a lot of luck over the years,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22growing them up to about 80lbs
0:35:22 > 0:35:25in weight, which is a lot of cabbage.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28At the end of the day, they're too big for the house,
0:35:28 > 0:35:33so I supply the local pub, and they cook them up for Sunday lunch.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37We've grown them now for 25 years.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40They seem to get bigger and bigger every year.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Anybody can grow a big cabbage. Anybody.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47No, there's no big secret.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50I start them off in the autumn,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I pot them through the winter months,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54and then just plant them out
0:35:54 > 0:35:58early spring in a good bed of manure,
0:35:58 > 0:35:59and it's as simple as that.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06But really, if it's that easy, why aren't we all growing giant veg?
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Well, actually,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14there is a little bit of a secret to growing giant cabbage.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17It really started with an accident.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20As you can see, I like to keep the ground really clean,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24and I caught the actual stalk of the cabbage
0:36:24 > 0:36:26with my hoe and split it.
0:36:26 > 0:36:31So I thought I had damaged it, but it rehealed itself,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and the cabbage seemed to grow that much quicker and bigger.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40And now every year, I get a knife and I cut through the main stalk.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45And I only do it to one, but very often, that's the one I show,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47the best cabbage.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49So it's damaging the stalk
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and making it reheal, getting it to grow quicker and bigger.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55That's one of my secrets.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Oh, the bell's gone. Got to go.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Going for dinner.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Once that bell goes, I've got to go.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Or I'll have a row off the wife.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17When it's time for Philip to come down for breakfast,
0:37:17 > 0:37:18I ring the bell once.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21I come back in, I start eating my breakfast.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23I wait a few minutes, no Philip,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26I go back out and ring the bell a little bit harder,
0:37:26 > 0:37:27because he's always talking.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Phillip spends so much time at the allotment
0:37:30 > 0:37:32that I feel like the allotment widow.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35I'm always here by myself. Come the weekend -
0:37:35 > 0:37:39"I've got to go up to the allotment. We'll go out later."
0:37:39 > 0:37:42And later comes, and he doesn't come down.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Well, I spend all day, every day up in my allotment,
0:37:46 > 0:37:47and I thoroughly enjoy it.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Brenda thinks I'm mad. Well, she might be right.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53But I thoroughly enjoy it.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58And sometimes she'll come up and help me out. She enjoys it, really.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59We have a wonderful time.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09I'm a poor man, but I feel like a millionaire,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11because I get so much enjoyment
0:38:11 > 0:38:16out of growing vegetables, all of them as well as the giants,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20and supplying the house and the grandchildren.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I do feel like a millionaire.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Philip Vowles, a man rich in his passion for vegetables.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30He may not specialise in giant marrows,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33but Jimmy Doherty is a passionate farmer.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37He's travelled the country to find out about new farming practices.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38He went to Caerphilly,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42where he found a dairy farm that's swapping tradition for change.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45And they're pretty radical changes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Alan and Paul Price run 400 cows on their farm.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57It's one of the biggest dairy businesses in South Wales.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00The brothers inherited a very traditional farm,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02and they come from a very traditional farming family.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06We're the third generation farmers.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09They've always produced milk there.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12We used to milk the cows before we went to school.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15We started off with 24 cows, and we've gone on from there.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20They've just installed a new £400,000 milking parlour,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24but the real money-spinner is round the back of the shed,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and it's not what I expect to see on a farm.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34These farming brothers have changed the way they use their land completely.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40They have turned their farm into a giant rubbish dump.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44It's incredible. When you look at this, you see a big pile of pallets,
0:39:44 > 0:39:49a big pile of timber over there and wood chippings. They form these lovely little hills.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52At the back, you've got the Welsh hills in the background.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55You've built your own landscape, haven't you?
0:40:02 > 0:40:06What I like about Alun and Paul is they are using their farm
0:40:06 > 0:40:09to help solve a major environmental crisis.
0:40:09 > 0:40:15Most of our household rubbish is buried in landfill sites.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16The problem is,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20the UK is running out of suitable places to stash our junk.
0:40:21 > 0:40:27On this farm, Alun can recycle 80% of all the rubbish he receives.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30When you stand here and look at all these piles around you
0:40:30 > 0:40:33and you go back five or six years, they were going to landfill.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38- Yes.- Now, we are turning them into a useful product,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- which as you can see, is going to produce electricity.- Yes.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48They have invested £3.5 million and now employ 20 men to sort
0:40:48 > 0:40:50and recycle the rubbish.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58It is not as easy as it looks.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04This is such good fun.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08It is a bit like being at the pier. Trying to pick up those teddy bears.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16But in fact, this is easier. Because those teddy bear thing's a con.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20He doesn't want to stop! He's enjoying himself!
0:41:20 > 0:41:21HE LAUGHS
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Just sorting out where all these little things go.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I can go for a cup of tea and leave him to it!
0:41:30 > 0:41:34What they are doing at this farm here is to take all this material
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and recycle it into a product which we can use
0:41:37 > 0:41:41and it's what we are going to have to do more and more in the future.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43These guys are really on the button.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55It's clear that a major part of all this household rubbish is food.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57And this really upset me.
0:41:57 > 0:42:03As a farmer, looking at someone throwing away a perfectly good tomato, to me, is a sin.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08There is a world food crisis.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13Crop prices are rising and yet we throw away a third of all our food.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20The great thing is that in this building,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24they can turn food waste into something very useful.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Compost.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Sawdust is mixed in with the waste food to soak up the surplus liquid.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36Then it is all fed into a giant shredder to be very finely chopped.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40The important thing is that all the food items
0:42:40 > 0:42:45are broken down sufficiently enough that they are not then
0:42:45 > 0:42:49eaten by rats and become a problem for pests and vermin.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Actually, compost is quite exciting.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55It doesn't look exciting but I love the process because you are turning
0:42:55 > 0:43:00waste into something you can use and it is something we all have to do.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07As Alun loads a tunnel, I feel like a midget in a giant's kitchen.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11This tunnel is in fact a monster cooker which heats up
0:43:11 > 0:43:14and kills unwanted bacteria in the food.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Alun is paid to take in the food waste.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25- So it turns into a good business for him.- It is fairly profitable.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Like any business you've got costs and overheads.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30- It is more profitable than milking cows.- Yes.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40The Price brothers turn all the food waste into rich compost
0:43:40 > 0:43:43which they can use themselves or sell.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48And this is the end product.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Thick, lush compost. It's really quite moist and juicy.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Doesn't really smell but that is lovely and warm.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01That composting process, but all this from rubbish.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Now at last I feel like a farmer again
0:44:17 > 0:44:20because it's time to help Alun spread his compost on the fields.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27When I first arrived - I have been in every machine here
0:44:27 > 0:44:32and picking out plastic bags and sofas and broken records -
0:44:32 > 0:44:36I felt like a million miles away from farming, but, the composting
0:44:36 > 0:44:41and now putting it back on the grass that the cows are going to eat that you're going to milk
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- and sell the milk to go into the shops.- It is complete circle.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Jimmy Docherty looking at the use of farming land for recycling.
0:44:49 > 0:44:54My journey is now reaching its end in the capital of Wales, Cardiff.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Nowhere quite says Cardiff like Cardiff Castle.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07The Romans built a fort here, the Normans erected a keep
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and over time, this site has established itself
0:45:10 > 0:45:13as one of the UK's truly great medieval castles.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17So it is a pretty good place from which to start a journey back in time.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Today, at Cardiff Castle, there is going to be a re-creation
0:45:21 > 0:45:27of a 13th century joust, put on by the Knights of Royal England.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32And in true medieval fashion, before the spectacle come the sideshows.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38There are lots of school children here to see the action
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and pick up a bit of first-hand history.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Jousting was a hugely popular form of entertainment
0:45:53 > 0:45:57during the Middle Ages. But it was more than just a sport.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00It helped knights keep fit between battles, honing skills
0:46:00 > 0:46:02and improving strength.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07The jousting knights represented their liege lord or entered
0:46:07 > 0:46:11competitions to compete for prize money.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20In this tournament, the knights in the red colours led by Sir Jasper
0:46:20 > 0:46:24are battling those wearing blue and the kids love it!
0:46:24 > 0:46:25CHILDREN CHEER
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Sir Jasper is played by Jeremy Richardson.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02Jeremy! I am in absolute awe, Sorry, I should say Sir Jasper.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06- Why, thank you, Lady Helen. - I am in absolute awe of what you did out there.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10You organise and perform in the tournament and you look after the horses. Please tell me
0:47:10 > 0:47:13you have been riding horses for a very long time.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16I have, yes. I think if you have got to go out there
0:47:16 > 0:47:18and you have to start thinking about how to ride
0:47:18 > 0:47:21and thinking about the horse, then you have got a problem.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Once the horse is trained, it takes a couple of years,
0:47:24 > 0:47:27once he is trained and sorted, he will be great for life, then.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31- Tell me about this horse. Who is this?- This is Debetto.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33He's an Andalusian stallion.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38And, as you can see, away from the arena, nice and quiet, lovable, nothing wrong with him.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Doesn't kick, bite, he's perfect.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Out in the arena, he is a wild beast!
0:47:42 > 0:47:45CHEERING
0:47:45 > 0:47:48'Looks like Ashley for the reds!'
0:47:48 > 0:47:54- Is it dangerous?- Yes. Yeah. It's dangerous. Horse-riding's dangerous.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57- Have you ever been hurt?- Yeah, lots.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Actually, when I was a teenager, more than later on in life.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05But as a teenager, I got hurt a lot. Had a lot of falls and stuff.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09Got a good few injuries, a good few broken shoulders and things.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12But not too bad now. I get about one injury a year.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15'Right, who wants to see a fight?!'
0:48:15 > 0:48:17CHEERING
0:48:17 > 0:48:23- How historically accurate is it? - Reasonably. Probably about 75, 80%.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26The main difference is, we put on a 45-minute jousting tournament,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30that same jousting tournament would have lasted probably three days.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34It's condensing everything that goes on in that tournament to 45 minutes.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37So there's a lot more jousting and fighting and combat
0:48:37 > 0:48:40and talking than you would normally see in a real jousting tournament.
0:48:40 > 0:48:45Thank you for the show. Thank you, I'm going to let you de-robe...
0:48:45 > 0:48:47- Undress!- ..the horse. Thank you!
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Well, the rain has been almost torrential here in Cardiff
0:48:56 > 0:48:58but it has not dampened our mood
0:48:58 > 0:49:01and I will be getting into the fighting spirit a bit later on.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04But first, here is the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11'My journey today has taken me along the beautiful South Wales coast.'
0:51:11 > 0:51:16I met lemurs in Tenby, visited the home of Dylan Thomas in Laugharne,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19and admired monster marrows in Llanharry.'
0:51:19 > 0:51:25'Now I've reached Cardiff and I'm about try my hand at medieval martial-arts.'
0:51:30 > 0:51:34'Earlier on, we saw Mark Vance fighting in full armour.'
0:51:34 > 0:51:39'Mark is trained in stage combat and has been performing with medieval swords for over 20 years.'
0:51:39 > 0:51:41'I want to have a go,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45but first, I asked him how he makes the fights look so realistic.'
0:51:48 > 0:51:51The secret is that many of the moves we put in
0:51:51 > 0:51:56come from real fighting manuals from the period. So they are real moves.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59We just incorporate that into the staged combat.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02If they're real moves, don't you ever get hurt?
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Yes, which is why I am going to put you in some armour,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08particularly gloves and a helmet.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12- Oh, my parents will be pleased. Let's get me some armour. - Get some armour.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Da-na! I thought I would feel like a fearless warrior.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23That wasn't meant to happen, was it?
0:52:23 > 0:52:26But I feel a bit cumbersome. It's heavy, isn't it?
0:52:26 > 0:52:30- It's heavy, but you look good.- Right.
0:52:30 > 0:52:35- I want to look like a fighter.- Let's teach you some moves.- OK. This way.
0:52:36 > 0:52:41Mark, this isn't just thrashing around with swords and cool costumes.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44- These are actual moves from medieval times?- Exactly.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Medieval knights were trained warriors.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51These are real moves from a real sword fighting book that I'm going to show you.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54It's Italian, it's called Flower Of Battle, it's 600 years old.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57- OK.- It's very much a Western martial art.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01- Is this how you learnt, from this book?- Yes.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05- Left leg forwards. Hold the sword in both hands, right hand on top.- OK.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09The secret of a good cut, and this is a fendente cut,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12the secret of it is you're not just hitting with your arms.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16There's not enough power. If you're enemy is wearing armour, you won't get through.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18What you need to do is step into the cut.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20As the sword comes down, step forward.
0:53:20 > 0:53:25- OK. You put all your body weight behind it.- Yep.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Nice one.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28Together.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32Good.
0:53:32 > 0:53:37- Ha-ha!- That's your first cut. Next bit is to teach you how to block.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41Start in this position, which is called "iron door" - porta de ferro.
0:53:41 > 0:53:46I want you to step back and bring the sword up and strike mine.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- So knock your sword out of the way? - Place it on it.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52You're blocking, you're protecting this side of your body.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55But keep the point pointing towards me.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58When you work out a routine that you show to the public,
0:53:58 > 0:54:03do you and your guys know what you're going to do next? Is it like a dance routine?
0:54:05 > 0:54:10There are different ways to do it. Most of the fights that we do are pretty much free-flowing.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13We've trained together, we know how each other fights
0:54:13 > 0:54:17and we might put little bits in, some exciting bits.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21An end or a star. But most of what is happening is as it happens.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24So if it's as it happens and it is free-flowing,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28presumably there are more accidents.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Well, yes and no. Because it's free-flowing, you have to watch.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36Sometimes with over-choreographed fights, people are expecting something to happen
0:54:36 > 0:54:41and when it doesn't, or happens in a different way, that's the danger.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45So it keeps you sharper, if not all the moves are fully worked out.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55- Back and block.- Yes. - And then you stab.- Got it.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58- Argh.- Excellent.
0:54:58 > 0:55:04When knights are wearing full body armour, it is incredibly tough stuff to cut through.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Your best way is to stab through it.
0:55:07 > 0:55:13The extra control and the close grappling work means that it's far more effective
0:55:13 > 0:55:16- if you grab the sword in a position like this.- OK.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21From here, you can use it to stab, you can also use this end to smash.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25- Ooh! - HE LAUGHS
0:55:25 > 0:55:27And so you can also wrestle and push with it.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Mark, you've got the devil in your eyes when you do that!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32There's a lot more control.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- I am going to mean it this time. - Oh, gosh.- Ready.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39- Argh!- Excellent.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42This is a Western martial art.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47This is as worthy as any of the martial arts that are around in modern times.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49How popular is it?
0:55:49 > 0:55:53It's one of the fastest-growing forms of martial art, historical martial arts.
0:55:53 > 0:55:59There's a lot of treatises that have been translated or rediscovered in the last few years.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03Italian ones, German one, English ones, that all date from the Middle Ages.
0:56:11 > 0:56:17'My journey along the south coast of Wales has been enhanced by a series of colourful characters.'
0:56:17 > 0:56:20'A designer-turned-zookeeper,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23'a record-holding vegetable grower,
0:56:23 > 0:56:24'a rock'n'roll poet...
0:56:27 > 0:56:29'..jousting supremo Jeremy Richardson...
0:56:33 > 0:56:37'..and a medieval martial arts expert, Mark Vance,
0:56:37 > 0:56:39'who seems to have taught me rather well.'
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- So, eyeball, so you can see when I start.- OK.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Here we go. In you come.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48Smash, slash, stab.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52One in the thigh, one in the neck, and a jump on your chest just for good measure
0:56:52 > 0:56:55and then go again! Yielded?
0:56:55 > 0:57:00- Yeah.- And I have ended my journey across the south coast of Wales on a high.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Come on, then, get ready for round two.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:07 > 0:57:10E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk