South Wales Country Tracks


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Today, I'm taking a journey across South Wales,

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from the rugged cliffs of Pembrokeshire to the nation's capital Cardiff.

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'Pembrokeshire is home to some of the country's most beautiful beaches.'

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'The water may be chilly, in spite of the Gulf Stream,

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but what the beaches like in warmth they more than make up for in sheer drama.'

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'My journey starts in Tenby, on the Pembrokeshire coast,

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where a former interior designer has taken up and zookeeping.'

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ANIMAL COUGHS

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Oh! Are you having a cough? No.

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It's a wee warning noise, I think.

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'From there, I'll move further along the coast to Laugharne,

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'home for a short time to Wales's best-known poet, Dylan Thomas.

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'After that, my journey continues to Llanharry,

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'where a local resident has been growing

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'some unfeasibly large vegetables.'

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I'm a poor man, but I feel like a millionaire.

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'And finally I arrive in Cardiff, the principality's capital,

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'to try out some medieval martial arts.'

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Along the way, I'll be looking back at some of the best of the BBC's rural programmes from this area.

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SHE SIGHS

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Welcome to Country Tracks.

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'There are more Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches in Pembrokeshire

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than any other county, providing a haven for both holidaymakers and wildlife.'

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It's said that in the UK, nowhere is more than two hours from a beach,

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and for walking, exploring and wildlife-watching, it's hard to beat Pembrokeshire.

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But I'm going to start my journey by meeting some animals that are not indigenous to this area.

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This is Manor House Wildlife Park.

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Four years ago, it was bought by interior designer Anna Ryder Richardson.

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She's lived here with her family, among the animals, ever since.

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She used to change rooms. Now, she's changing a zoo.

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'The park was the subject of a television programme

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'showing the difficulties of getting such a large project off the ground.'

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'I'm dropping in to find out how things have been going since then.'

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-Hello, Anna.

-Hi.

-Thank you for having me in your kingdom.

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Aw, it's so peaceful at the moment.

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-This is the quiet before the storm, before the visitors arrive.

-Yes.

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Why a zoo? How do you go from interior design to a zoo?

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Sometimes I'm like, "How did that happen?" I don't know. It literally was somebody mentioning

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the word zoo, wildlife park, were we interested?

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And I went, "Yes!" And that was it.

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-And you brought your whole family here.

-Yep.

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What did they think about it?

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I think Bibi and Dixie were like, "Great, we're going to live in a zoo."

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Erm, and Colin, who's a big Glaswegian, restaurateur,

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never left Glasgow in his life, said, "That's ridiculous. I'm not going."

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But he did!

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You've got 52 acres, a huge collection of animals.

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Who is involved in running it?

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Colin is really the man who runs the whole place.

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I've tried, but he won't let me. He won't let me, basically.

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"I won't work with my wife plus, you're rubbish!"

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We've got Ross Brown, our head keeper, and he's just adorable. He talks very fast.

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But he just knows everything. He has taught me so much.

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Have you always loved animals?

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I've always loved horses. Since I was born, I wanted a horse.

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You won't remember these things, but Champion the Wonder Horse, Black Beauty.

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I knew there were seven Black Beauties in the titles and only one had a real star.

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-Did anyone get me one? No.

-So you got a zoo.

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I had to wait until I was 45 years old. I'm older than that now. It's OK.

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And I have got six now.

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It all seems like it's under control now.

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Has it always been like this?

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Can you remember the calm before the storm before starting this adventure?

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God. Three years. It feels 300 million years ago.

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I don't know whether this is an age thing or living-in-a-zoo thing, but everything goes so fast.

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It looks peaceful and under control now, but it isn't,

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and it certainly wasn't three years ago.

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'The zoo opens in just two hours' time.'

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Stop it! Blue! He's been done, as well.

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Just a bit of fun, Mum.

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That needs a wipe. So they like it?

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-They are not going to be there at ten o'clock today, are they?

-Buses.

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-What bus? A coach? Is coming at ten?

-Yes.

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We need another day or two

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to get things like that away.

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No food anywhere today.

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The tepees should be out, they're not.

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It's not a game. It's my clothes. No! Drop!

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Drop!

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There we are. One thing leads to another and off they go.

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Colin does all the business. Colin does all the worrying.

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And I go, "It would be really nice if we could paint that white

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and a couple of bits of lavender there and let's get some pigs!"

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It'll all change. Once he hears "ding". The first ticket sale.

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Just getting the whole place up and running is like a big, heavy bar of concrete.

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Once it starts, it won't stop.

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SHE GASPS

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Can you see what I can see?

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'The gates are finally open.'

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A coach. Is it ten o'clock?

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'This season is under way and the first customers are buying their tickets.'

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'Colin is holding the fort at the till

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while Anna is supposed to be meeting and greeting the first visitors.'

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-Hello.

-Hello.

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-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

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Hi. Did you want to go in with the wallabies?

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HE SIGHS

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I need a coffee.

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-Can we have a photo?

-Yes. Like this?

-Yes.

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I'm just going to show them how to light the fire

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and then I'm coming back to the front gate.

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-You can send that to daddy.

-Ah!

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I'm pleased that there are people here.

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I'm very pleased there are people here, because we don't know.

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At least there's a good, healthy throughput of people already. We have to take the positives.

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In you come, boys.

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'Manor House has been a zoo since 1975.'

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'But the new owners are trying to do things differently.'

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That's it. Do you want to leave your pushchair here, otherwise they get in it.

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LAUGHTER

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And before you know it, you'll be pushing a lemur down the road.

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Right. It's quite busy in here.

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'One of the major features of the zoo's makeover are the walk-throughs,

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where the public can interact with the animals.'

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Hello.

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'Anna I wants her Tenby zoo to play a part in conservation

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by helping to breed rare and endangered species.'

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There's not that many in here. There will be lots more, but we don't want to flood it.

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There we are. Oh, I just want to kiss them so much.

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We have ring-tailed lemurs and we've red-belly lemurs.

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Oh, I want to tickle that belly, but I can't!

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Madagascar, which is where they all come from.

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Highly threatened.

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HE COUGHS Oh!

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Are you having a cough? No.

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It's a wee warning noise. Is it because I was talking about Madagascar?

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HE SQUEAKS I know.

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Because they're chopping down the forest, chopping down your habitat.

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It's not going to be there any more. HE SQUEAKS

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This is why we're doing it.

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This is why Colin and I are completely broke and hate each other(!)

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SHE CHUCKLES

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'No matter what the cost, Ann is determined the zoo will succeed.'

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This is the jewel in our crown at the moment.

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This is where people can really understand what we are all about

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and if it means they come here just for this and experience it

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and go away with a beam on their face, and they come back, it means we can do more.

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'She's trying to turn the way we think about zoos on its head.'

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We are in their house, in their territory,

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and they are observing us, rather than the other way around.

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So, all these people are just visiting.

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And should be observing and enjoying it. They're being lemurs, really.

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It's freedom.

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'Two years on and the lemurs are well ensconced in their walk-through.

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Head keeper Ross Brown has joined Anna and myself to explain more of their zoo philosophy.

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We could not be any closer to the animals. Look!

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If I lay down I could touch him, but I shouldn't do that.

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-They don't like being touched.

-Don't kiss them. I'm not allowed to.

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-You learnt that the hard way?

-Yeah. Not unless you're not looking.

-Yeah.

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But this is a totally different philosophy.

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This is a new way and looking at zoos, being able to walk amongst them like this.

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-Is it working out for you?

-Yeah. This is their freedom.

-Yes.

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-This is their home and we are in their territory, really.

-Yeah.

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The way I like to say it is all we are to them is traffic.

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The reason why we don't let people touch them or feed them is that you have...

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You have no effect on their behaviour.

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We're all laughing because look at the lemur. He's...

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SHE LAUGHS

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I love how relaxed they are. I'm not going to touch them.

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I'm just going to get close.

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Oh, they look quite chilled out.

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Are they all right about me being so close to them?

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Yeah, they are fine. You can get as close as possible to them,

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as long as you don't touch them, they don't see you as a threat.

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You're just there to them. That's what's nice about it. This is their home.

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They spend all the time in here. This is new, so they are investigating it.

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That's what they're doing.

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Did it take them long to get used to been this close to people?

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The public wander through their home.

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If people wandered through my living room, I'd be unhappy.

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Because this has been established for a few years.

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and these animals have been getting used to it.

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Initially, the first year was stressful.

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They were getting used to the environment, people wandering through.

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But now we've established the guide rules as to how people are to act when they are in here.

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They're much more relaxed.

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In an old fashioned zoo, you would lean up to the cage

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and you wouldn't be able to interact with them like this.

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Was this zoo like that when you first took it over?

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Very much so.

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There are still many zoos like that, where it's the wrong way round.

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The animals are almost there on show in a small enclosure

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so you cannot miss them.

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And you can literally spend...

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I think two seconds was the average time people would stand in front of an animal.

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Whereas here, you are in their environment,

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so you have to sit and observe them doing what they would normally do on a daily basis.

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Have you got more walk-throughs in the zoo?

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Oh, yes. The wallaby walk-through is popular. It's at the beginning.

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You can feed the wallabies.

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We have the African walk-through as well, which we could go into now.

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-Yeah.

-Stroke the pygmy goat.

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'Anna was inspired to create the African village after spending time there.'

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'It seems she has a love of Africa.'

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'As well as the Madagascan lemurs, the zoo boasts oryx, ostrich and zebras.'

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Everything in the park has to have an education slant to it.

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There are a couple of roles for wildlife parks, zoos, now

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which are insurance policies for species that are being wiped out daily.

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Breeding programmes and education. It's all about education.

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So if we do nothing but educate a child, then we're doing something.

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'I admire Anna's style - freedom for the animals and education for the kids.'

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'Just off the Pembrokeshire coast, Skomer Island is a seabird paradise.'

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'Miranda Krestovnikoff came to see its existing residents and its new rivals.'

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I've visited Skomer quite a few times and it's lovely to be back.

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Every time I come here, I've got to get to know the island all over again.

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It's ever-changing. It's a place of so many different facets.

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'One of the most precarious habitat's is the Wick,

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a sheer cliff with ledges ideally suited to nesting birds -

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razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars.'

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'I'm going to explore this fantastic abundance of birdlife, not just by day, but at night, too.'

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In daylight, it's puffins that rule the roost.

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And it's not rocky sea cliffs

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but rabbit burrows that's their idea of a perfect des res.

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This is one of the most important puffin colonies

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in north-western Europe.

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The best way to appreciate the puffins' lifestyle

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is to get in the water with them.

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Island warden Jo Milborrow is going to help me snorkel right up-close.

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I'm absolutely dying to get in.

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It's been such a warm day, the water's been so inviting

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-and there's loads and loads of puffins behind us.

-Yeah. They're great, aren't they?

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-Let's hope we can get close.

-Hopefully they'll come over and have a little look at us. After you.

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-It's cool!

-It's very cool!

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-That's chilly.

-It's very chilly!

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'Puffins are easily spooked, so we have to be patient and move slowly.

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'But we're soon rewarded with a rare chance

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'of swimming within just a few feet of them.'

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'Some of Skomer's grey seals are lounging nearby.

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'But, for me, it's the puffins that steal the show.'

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Absolutely surrounded by puffins, maybe just six feet away from me.

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Some of them just skimming over the top of my head. Incredible.

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They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that I was there. Maybe I just fooled them I was a seal.

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'Puffins certainly steal the limelight during the daytime...

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'..But Skomer attracts vast numbers of globetrotters

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'who are much harder to spot until night falls.'

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Every summer, Skomer welcomes back a flock of old friends -

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birds from the island who've travelled way out

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to the coast of South America, a round trip of 18,000 miles.

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And they come back year to the island often to within just a few feet

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of where they were born to mate and breed.

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I'm in search of one of the greatest adventurers of the animal kingdom -

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the Manx shearwater.

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'This tiny island off Wales becomes an extraordinary landing strip

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'for Manx shearwaters, returning after winter from fisheries

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'far down in the South Atlantic.

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'Because they're shy, nocturnal birds,

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'you'd be hard-pushed to see them in daylight.

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'But, as the sun sets, the atmosphere really changes.'

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BIRDS CALLING

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'That cacophony means the Manx shearwaters are arriving

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'in their thousands, and I can just glimpse them in the darkness.

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'Professor Tim Guildford is going to help me get a closer look.'

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-They're everywhere, aren't they?

-They are. The place is littered with them.

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And this guy has probably just landed.

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I'm guessing this is a non-breeder.

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-Fabulous!

-This one's probably just a recent prospect

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-who is looking to mate.

-He's beautiful, isn't he?

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Can see on the top of the beak these two little holes?

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-These nostrils are actually salt-excreting glands.

-Like a storm petrel.

-Absolutely.

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So that allows this whole family of birds to live in the open ocean

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without ever having to drink, so they can essentially just

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either create their own water metabolically, or they can

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excrete salt sufficiently not to need fresh water.

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They look a bit hopeless on land. The legs are placed

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so far back on the body that they can't balance well.

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They flatten themselves out, don't they?

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-They are sort of waddling very low.

-Yeah.

-Very strange gait, isn't it?

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-Very strange gait.

-SHE LAUGHS

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'There are more than 100,000 breeding pairs on Skomer.

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'And nest cameras are providing new insights

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'into how they rear their young.

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'Researchers like Tim have tagged the birds

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'with electronic geolocators.'

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OK, that's great.

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-Out you come.

-Brilliant.

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-So, this is one of the tagged birds.

-On this leg...

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That's the geolocator there?

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-On this leg is the geolocating device.

-It's so small!

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It's a bit perturbed now.

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'The electronic log of this bird's position is downloaded

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'to produce detailed maps.'

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This tells us, for every day and night of the year,

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where the bird has been.

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So, at last now, we can reconstruct its entire migratory journey.

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The male is the black one and the female is the purple one.

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What we see is an outward migration down the west coast of Africa,

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across to Brazil, and then down to Argentina to overwinter.

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They had back then in the early spring,

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they take slightly different routes, but what you do see is this

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extraordinary curve through the Caribbean. They don't come back the way he went out.

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-Isn't that incredible they're not doing the same journey there and back?

-It is.

-I wonder why.

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Well, we think they're exploiting the North Atlantic currents,

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these circular currents.

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So, the currents and the weather systems move like this

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so they're basically following weather systems,

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making it efficient, using the winds.

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'And soon they're off back out to sea.

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'By daybreak, the shearwaters have vanished.

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'Perhaps the most remarkable secret of this magical seabird sanctuary

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'on the Pembrokeshire coast.'

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'Miranda Krestovnikoff and the beautiful birds of Skomer Island.

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'My journey continues along the coast to Laugharne,

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'the occasional home of a great Welsh poet.'

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1953 was an interesting year.

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The Coronation happened, Stalin died, Everest was conquered

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and Dylan Thomas, one of Wales' greatest literary heroes,

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was spending the last few weeks of his life

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here on the south coast of Wales.

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'In my craft or sullen art

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'Exercised in the still night When only the moon rages

0:21:030:21:06

'And the lovers lie abed With all their griefs in their arms,

0:21:060:21:10

'I labour by singing light Not for ambition or bread

0:21:100:21:14

'Or the strut and trade of charms On the ivory stages

0:21:140:21:18

'But for the common wages Of their most secret heart.'

0:21:180:21:22

He lived here with his wife and family

0:21:220:21:25

and it was the spectacular views from this boathouse

0:21:250:21:28

that inspired some of Dylan Thomas' greatest works,

0:21:280:21:31

Including Under Milk Wood, Fern Hill and In My Craft or Sullen Art.

0:21:310:21:36

'Not for the proud man apart From the raging moon I write

0:21:380:21:42

'On these spindrift pages Nor for the towering dead

0:21:420:21:45

'With their nightingales and psalms But for the lovers, their arms

0:21:450:21:51

'Round the griefs of the ages, Who pay no praise or wages

0:21:510:21:56

'Nor heed my craft or art.'

0:21:560:21:59

His flamboyant and evocative use of language

0:22:010:22:05

created poetry and prose of gothic, mystical and surrealist imagery.

0:22:050:22:10

His writing shed here on the clifftop

0:22:100:22:12

is where he could most often be found.

0:22:120:22:14

Hello, John.

0:22:210:22:22

'Jon Treganna is a curator at The Boathouse,

0:22:220:22:25

'which is steeped in the history of Dylan's life.'

0:22:250:22:28

-Jon, it really is like stepping back in time coming in here.

-Yeah, it is.

0:22:310:22:36

How different is it now to how it would have looked when Dylan Thomas lived here?

0:22:360:22:40

This house was bought for them by Margaret Taylor,

0:22:400:22:43

an American actress who was a big fan of Dylan's.

0:22:430:22:46

So, when they move in, it would have been plain, cold and damp.

0:22:460:22:49

One of the first things they did was - Caitlin and Dylan were very bohemian, very vibrant.

0:22:490:22:54

You don't get that in black-and-white images, but...

0:22:540:22:57

He'd go out talking to local farmers and he'd have purple trousers on

0:22:570:23:02

and she would have a dress made out of curtains. They were really vibrant people

0:23:020:23:05

so they painted the walls bright colours and they got rugs

0:23:050:23:08

-and they begged, borrowed and stole all furniture they could get.

-Tonight is a relatively warm

0:23:080:23:14

summer's evening, golden sunshine, but I imagine on winter's night this place could feel very bleak.

0:23:140:23:19

It would have been freezing. There was no central heating. Today, you can put the heating on.

0:23:190:23:24

They had nothing like that then. There would've been coal fires. But the house is right on the coast,

0:23:240:23:29

it's exposed, you've got all the winds. When Dylan went to write in the shed,

0:23:290:23:33

he probably went to warm up because the shed was tiny and he had a little coal stove in there.

0:23:330:23:38

This house was busy. It was full of children, it was full of Caitlin and friends,

0:23:380:23:43

it was full of people dropping in, there was a housekeeper here, there were dogs.

0:23:430:23:47

This was a noisy house. The man needed his peace and quiet to work.

0:23:470:23:50

Caitlin, I think, is undervalued in the impact she had.

0:23:550:23:59

He used to run a lot of material past her to get her approval.

0:23:590:24:03

I think it was very important to Dylan that Caitlin not only loved him passionately as a woman

0:24:030:24:07

but also admired him as a writer.

0:24:070:24:10

And in real life then when business had to be done,

0:24:100:24:13

was she quite strict?

0:24:130:24:15

If he didn't deliver poetry or a story or a broadcast to the BBC,

0:24:150:24:19

they wouldn't have any money. So, if he had a deadline, she'd march him up to the shed,

0:24:190:24:23

she'd lock him in at 2pm in the afternoon

0:24:230:24:26

and then come back and get him at 7pm in the evening,

0:24:260:24:28

with nothing but his work and the coal fire

0:24:280:24:32

and maybe a bucket for company.

0:24:320:24:36

-How did he write poetry? Was it easy for him?

-No, no.

0:24:360:24:39

It was terribly difficult, yes.

0:24:390:24:42

He used to go into his little shed and scrape and scratch and mutter and mumble...

0:24:420:24:47

..in tone and change. He was frightfully slow, you know.

0:24:470:24:52

In one afternoon, from about two till seven, he might have

0:24:520:24:55

done just one line or taken out one word or put in one word.

0:24:550:24:59

He had a bit of a rock 'n' roll image though, didn't he?

0:25:030:25:06

Yeah. I mean, when he went to New York in the '50s, he was mobbed in the streets.

0:25:060:25:11

People asking for autographs, women throwing themselves at him.

0:25:110:25:14

He wasn't the best looking guy in the world, but had charisma. People wanted to be with him.

0:25:140:25:18

It's hard to marry that image with this lifestyle

0:25:180:25:21

because it's a beautiful home, but it's very basic and it's in the middle of nowhere.

0:25:210:25:26

But I think it's what happens when you take any kind of simple soul

0:25:260:25:29

and give them that level of fame.

0:25:290:25:31

I think that's as much today now as it was then, you know.

0:25:310:25:35

But when he was back here, he was diligent and hard-working. He was a caring, family man.

0:25:350:25:40

'Dylan Thomas left the boathouse on 8 October 1953 and went to America,

0:25:420:25:49

never to return to Wales. Just one month later, he died.

0:25:490:25:53

'Further along the coast is Swansea, a town with a great

0:25:570:26:00

'metalworking tradition that's been carried on for generations.

0:26:000:26:04

'It was nicknamed "Copperopolis"

0:26:040:26:07

'because an amazing two thirds of the world's copper was once produced here.

0:26:070:26:11

'Mark Horton uncovers the story of the area's metal monopoly.'

0:26:110:26:15

'I'm here to discover an alchemist's ancient secret

0:26:170:26:21

'that once made Swansea the copper capital of the world.'

0:26:210:26:26

Open it at the bottom, close it at the top.

0:26:270:26:29

'Eddie Daughton is an experimental archaeologist.'

0:26:290:26:33

This is a lot of fun, isn't it?

0:26:330:26:35

-Erm, to start with!

-THEY LAUGH

0:26:350:26:38

'We're using 4,000 year old methods

0:26:380:26:41

'to rediscover the magic of turning rock into metal.

0:26:410:26:45

'The Welsh knew the secret and Eddie thinks he's cracked it.

0:26:480:26:51

'First, we have to get the fire hot enough,

0:26:530:26:55

'and it's not as easy as it looks.'

0:26:550:26:58

-So, if you want to stop bellowing.

-Phew! That's exhausting!

0:26:580:27:03

So, what's the recipe to make copper?

0:27:030:27:06

For this furnace, it's about 10 kilograms of charcoal,

0:27:060:27:10

half a kilogram of copper ore...

0:27:100:27:14

..and a little tiny bit of ironstone.

0:27:160:27:19

And we should end up making a quarter of a kilogram of copper,

0:27:190:27:23

maybe not quite that much.

0:27:230:27:25

So, what you're seeing is you need 10 times as much fuel

0:27:250:27:30

-and carbon to make copper than the copper ore itself?

-Yeah.

0:27:300:27:35

So that explains why Swansea's here

0:27:350:27:38

-where there's masses of coal.

-Masses of carbon.

0:27:380:27:41

FOLK MUSIC

0:27:410:27:44

'Put together copper ore with coal to make the metal

0:27:440:27:48

'and the sea to transport it, and you get a winning formula.'

0:27:480:27:52

-Do you think this is going to work?

-With luck...yes.

0:27:530:27:58

-I'm deeply sceptical.

-It's so simple! Believe!

0:27:580:28:01

'As Swansea's metalworkers mastered the art of copper extraction,

0:28:010:28:05

'a city grew from primitive beginnings

0:28:050:28:09

into a scene of satanic industry.'

0:28:090:28:11

'By the late 18th-century,

0:28:150:28:17

'the whole of the Towy Valley was filled with smelters.

0:28:170:28:22

'The works operated day and night, producing sulphurous fumes

0:28:220:28:26

'so horrendous that downwind the land is still toxic to this day.

0:28:260:28:31

'These docks were built to expand the trade still further.

0:28:350:28:39

'200 years ago, Swansea's copper was in demand.

0:28:430:28:47

'Who was after it? The Royal Navy.'

0:28:470:28:50

-Hello, David.

-Hello, Mark! Croeso i Tywi.

-Oh, fantastic!

0:28:500:28:54

'David Jenkins knows the story

0:28:540:28:57

'of the city's copper-bottomed deal with Nelson's Navy.'

0:28:570:29:01

This is an ingot of pure copper, as would have been produced in Swansea.

0:29:010:29:06

-That's pure copper?

-That is pure copper.

0:29:060:29:10

That was the essential copper.

0:29:100:29:12

-What did they need it for in the 19th century?

-The main use of copper was this.

0:29:120:29:17

This is what gave Nelson's navy

0:29:170:29:19

-massive tactical advantages.

-Fantastic.

0:29:190:29:22

It's a sheet of copper ore

0:29:220:29:23

from the hull of HMS Victory.

0:29:230:29:26

You can see, Vivian & Sons, Swansea.

0:29:260:29:28

Look, I can see. And the number, 2802.

0:29:280:29:32

That's right, yes. Copper ore

0:29:320:29:34

and obviously copper itself was very valuable,

0:29:340:29:37

but its value was not so much monetary as tactical.

0:29:370:29:39

The manoeuvring that took place before the Battle of Trafalgar

0:29:390:29:43

owed a great deal of its success

0:29:430:29:45

to the fact that Nelson's ships had this on their bottoms.

0:29:450:29:49

It means that no weeds grow on the hull of your ship.

0:29:490:29:51

The water slips much more quickly over the hull of the ship,

0:29:510:29:55

and therefore it gave the ship excellent manoeuvrability.

0:29:550:29:59

Swansea's dominance of the world copper trade

0:29:590:30:03

meant that the Royal Navy

0:30:030:30:05

had copper-bottomed boats that the French didn't.

0:30:050:30:10

A tactical advantage that could be traced back 4,000 years

0:30:100:30:14

to those prehistoric Welsh experiments in metallurgy.

0:30:140:30:19

Now, have we managed to rediscover the secrets of their success?

0:30:230:30:28

-Carry on pumping?

-Carry on pumping.

0:30:280:30:30

-You must have a stitch by now.

-Just a bit.

0:30:300:30:33

Do you think you've got copper?

0:30:330:30:35

I think so. I hope so,

0:30:350:30:37

but I'm not giving any guarantees.

0:30:370:30:39

-OK.

-All right, I'm going to stop pumping.

0:30:390:30:43

-Keep pumping.

-Right.

0:30:430:30:45

OK, stop pumping. Get round the other side with the stick.

0:30:500:30:53

-Whoa!

-Whoa!

-Isn't that fantastic?

0:31:050:31:09

That's it.

0:31:090:31:11

That is probably frozen by now.

0:31:130:31:16

I can probably pick that up with the tongs. That is copper.

0:31:160:31:20

-A small ingot of copper.

-A small lump of copper.

0:31:200:31:23

It's absolutely incredible when you think of the energy

0:31:230:31:26

and that effort that's gone into winning a metal.

0:31:260:31:30

Needless to say, don't try that at home.

0:31:300:31:34

My journey which began in Pembrokeshire

0:31:370:31:39

at the coastal resort of Tenby

0:31:390:31:41

and continued to Laugharne in Carmarthenshire

0:31:410:31:44

has now reached Mid-Glamorgan.

0:31:440:31:46

Just up the road from Pontyclun

0:31:500:31:52

in the Welsh valleys is the little village of Llanharry.

0:31:520:31:55

It's typical of the south of Wales in that it has links with mining,

0:31:550:31:58

a working men's club, and of course, a rugby team.

0:31:580:32:02

It also has some rather impressive vegetables,

0:32:020:32:05

and I am talking giant vegetables.

0:32:050:32:09

Local man and gardener Philip Vowles has been growing

0:32:180:32:21

giant vegetables for over a quarter of a century.

0:32:210:32:24

He exhibits in the Llanharry Giant Vegetable Show, and wins nearly every year.

0:32:250:32:31

Last year, he grew a 300lb pumpkin.

0:32:310:32:34

His 128lb marrow nearly smashed the world record.

0:32:340:32:37

But don't worry, his 1990 cucumber

0:32:370:32:40

did make the Guinness Book of Records,

0:32:400:32:44

weighing in at 18lbs, five and three-quarter ounces.

0:32:440:32:47

Yeah, I grew a very good marrow last year,

0:32:470:32:49

just a pound from the world record.

0:32:490:32:52

But it split on me. That's the joy of growing.

0:32:530:32:56

You get some bad luck and you get some good luck,

0:32:560:32:59

and I had the bad luck last year.

0:32:590:33:01

And it's not just Philip that gets involved.

0:33:010:33:04

The whole family does too,

0:33:040:33:06

including his grandchildren.

0:33:060:33:08

Look at that!

0:33:120:33:13

Granddad's vegetables are much nicer than the shop vegetables.

0:33:190:33:24

I'm really proud of my grandpa growing all this veg all himself.

0:33:330:33:37

He's put a lot towards it, you know. He's up here most of the time.

0:33:370:33:43

You hardly get to see him because he's working so hard up here.

0:33:430:33:46

And what he does, I'm really proud of him.

0:33:460:33:50

Philip's brothers grow giant veg too,

0:33:500:33:53

and can be a bit competitive with him.

0:33:530:33:56

Philip, are you going to give us our plants

0:33:560:33:59

a little bit earlier this year than last year?

0:33:590:34:02

You can have them at the same time

0:34:020:34:04

-as I plant them.

-Last year, we were six weeks behind you.

-Right.

0:34:040:34:08

So the pounds we were down on in the show...

0:34:110:34:15

-..we would have made up in them six weeks.

-You're just making excuses.

0:34:170:34:20

Philip's prize-winning allotment is tucked away

0:34:220:34:24

at the back of his house.

0:34:240:34:27

He's very proud of his rows and rows of vegetables.

0:34:270:34:29

Well, let me show you my allotment.

0:34:320:34:36

It's a bit of ground I've tidied up 40 years ago.

0:34:360:34:39

I grow a bit of everything.

0:34:400:34:42

Mainly for the house originally, because I've got a large family,

0:34:440:34:51

and we try to supply them all.

0:34:510:34:53

Then I decided I'd go into growing giant veg,

0:34:530:34:56

and I've had a lot of fun out of it.

0:34:560:34:59

I grow a lot of stuff, as you can see. I've got my strawberries.

0:34:590:35:03

I grow a lot of flower plants.

0:35:030:35:06

I've got some nice lettuce, which I supply the whole family with.

0:35:060:35:10

I've got my garlic, my onion bed.

0:35:100:35:12

And these are my giant cabbage, which I'm very proud of.

0:35:150:35:18

I've had a lot of luck over the years,

0:35:180:35:20

growing them up to about 80lbs

0:35:200:35:22

in weight, which is a lot of cabbage.

0:35:220:35:25

At the end of the day, they're too big for the house,

0:35:250:35:28

so I supply the local pub, and they cook them up for Sunday lunch.

0:35:280:35:33

We've grown them now for 25 years.

0:35:330:35:37

They seem to get bigger and bigger every year.

0:35:370:35:40

Anybody can grow a big cabbage. Anybody.

0:35:410:35:44

No, there's no big secret.

0:35:440:35:47

I start them off in the autumn,

0:35:480:35:50

I pot them through the winter months,

0:35:500:35:52

and then just plant them out

0:35:520:35:54

early spring in a good bed of manure,

0:35:540:35:58

and it's as simple as that.

0:35:580:35:59

But really, if it's that easy, why aren't we all growing giant veg?

0:36:010:36:06

Well, actually,

0:36:080:36:10

there is a little bit of a secret to growing giant cabbage.

0:36:100:36:14

It really started with an accident.

0:36:140:36:17

As you can see, I like to keep the ground really clean,

0:36:170:36:20

and I caught the actual stalk of the cabbage

0:36:200:36:24

with my hoe and split it.

0:36:240:36:26

So I thought I had damaged it, but it rehealed itself,

0:36:260:36:31

and the cabbage seemed to grow that much quicker and bigger.

0:36:310:36:35

And now every year, I get a knife and I cut through the main stalk.

0:36:350:36:40

And I only do it to one, but very often, that's the one I show,

0:36:400:36:45

the best cabbage.

0:36:450:36:47

So it's damaging the stalk

0:36:470:36:49

and making it reheal, getting it to grow quicker and bigger.

0:36:490:36:53

That's one of my secrets.

0:36:530:36:55

Oh, the bell's gone. Got to go.

0:36:580:37:00

Going for dinner.

0:37:010:37:03

Once that bell goes, I've got to go.

0:37:040:37:06

Or I'll have a row off the wife.

0:37:090:37:11

When it's time for Philip to come down for breakfast,

0:37:140:37:17

I ring the bell once.

0:37:170:37:18

I come back in, I start eating my breakfast.

0:37:180:37:21

I wait a few minutes, no Philip,

0:37:210:37:23

I go back out and ring the bell a little bit harder,

0:37:230:37:26

because he's always talking.

0:37:260:37:27

Phillip spends so much time at the allotment

0:37:270:37:30

that I feel like the allotment widow.

0:37:300:37:32

I'm always here by myself. Come the weekend -

0:37:320:37:35

"I've got to go up to the allotment. We'll go out later."

0:37:350:37:39

And later comes, and he doesn't come down.

0:37:390:37:42

Well, I spend all day, every day up in my allotment,

0:37:420:37:46

and I thoroughly enjoy it.

0:37:460:37:47

Brenda thinks I'm mad. Well, she might be right.

0:37:470:37:51

But I thoroughly enjoy it.

0:37:510:37:53

And sometimes she'll come up and help me out. She enjoys it, really.

0:37:530:37:58

We have a wonderful time.

0:37:580:37:59

I'm a poor man, but I feel like a millionaire,

0:38:060:38:09

because I get so much enjoyment

0:38:090:38:11

out of growing vegetables, all of them as well as the giants,

0:38:110:38:16

and supplying the house and the grandchildren.

0:38:160:38:20

I do feel like a millionaire.

0:38:200:38:23

Philip Vowles, a man rich in his passion for vegetables.

0:38:240:38:28

He may not specialise in giant marrows,

0:38:280:38:30

but Jimmy Doherty is a passionate farmer.

0:38:300:38:33

He's travelled the country to find out about new farming practices.

0:38:330:38:37

He went to Caerphilly,

0:38:370:38:38

where he found a dairy farm that's swapping tradition for change.

0:38:380:38:42

And they're pretty radical changes.

0:38:420:38:45

Alan and Paul Price run 400 cows on their farm.

0:38:510:38:53

It's one of the biggest dairy businesses in South Wales.

0:38:530:38:57

The brothers inherited a very traditional farm,

0:38:570:39:00

and they come from a very traditional farming family.

0:39:000:39:02

We're the third generation farmers.

0:39:020:39:06

They've always produced milk there.

0:39:060:39:09

We used to milk the cows before we went to school.

0:39:090:39:12

We started off with 24 cows, and we've gone on from there.

0:39:120:39:15

They've just installed a new £400,000 milking parlour,

0:39:150:39:20

but the real money-spinner is round the back of the shed,

0:39:200:39:24

and it's not what I expect to see on a farm.

0:39:240:39:27

These farming brothers have changed the way they use their land completely.

0:39:290:39:34

They have turned their farm into a giant rubbish dump.

0:39:360:39:40

It's incredible. When you look at this, you see a big pile of pallets,

0:39:400:39:44

a big pile of timber over there and wood chippings. They form these lovely little hills.

0:39:440:39:49

At the back, you've got the Welsh hills in the background.

0:39:490:39:52

You've built your own landscape, haven't you?

0:39:520:39:55

What I like about Alun and Paul is they are using their farm

0:40:020:40:06

to help solve a major environmental crisis.

0:40:060:40:09

Most of our household rubbish is buried in landfill sites.

0:40:090:40:15

The problem is,

0:40:150:40:16

the UK is running out of suitable places to stash our junk.

0:40:160:40:20

On this farm, Alun can recycle 80% of all the rubbish he receives.

0:40:210:40:27

When you stand here and look at all these piles around you

0:40:270:40:30

and you go back five or six years, they were going to landfill.

0:40:300:40:33

-Yes.

-Now, we are turning them into a useful product,

0:40:330:40:38

-which as you can see, is going to produce electricity.

-Yes.

0:40:380:40:42

They have invested £3.5 million and now employ 20 men to sort

0:40:440:40:48

and recycle the rubbish.

0:40:480:40:50

It is not as easy as it looks.

0:40:560:40:58

This is such good fun.

0:41:010:41:04

It is a bit like being at the pier. Trying to pick up those teddy bears.

0:41:040:41:08

But in fact, this is easier. Because those teddy bear thing's a con.

0:41:110:41:16

He doesn't want to stop! He's enjoying himself!

0:41:160:41:20

HE LAUGHS

0:41:200:41:21

Just sorting out where all these little things go.

0:41:230:41:27

I can go for a cup of tea and leave him to it!

0:41:270:41:30

What they are doing at this farm here is to take all this material

0:41:300:41:34

and recycle it into a product which we can use

0:41:340:41:37

and it's what we are going to have to do more and more in the future.

0:41:370:41:41

These guys are really on the button.

0:41:410:41:43

It's clear that a major part of all this household rubbish is food.

0:41:490:41:55

And this really upset me.

0:41:550:41:57

As a farmer, looking at someone throwing away a perfectly good tomato, to me, is a sin.

0:41:570:42:03

There is a world food crisis.

0:42:050:42:08

Crop prices are rising and yet we throw away a third of all our food.

0:42:080:42:13

The great thing is that in this building,

0:42:180:42:20

they can turn food waste into something very useful.

0:42:200:42:24

Compost.

0:42:240:42:26

Sawdust is mixed in with the waste food to soak up the surplus liquid.

0:42:270:42:31

Then it is all fed into a giant shredder to be very finely chopped.

0:42:310:42:36

The important thing is that all the food items

0:42:360:42:40

are broken down sufficiently enough that they are not then

0:42:400:42:45

eaten by rats and become a problem for pests and vermin.

0:42:450:42:49

Actually, compost is quite exciting.

0:42:490:42:51

It doesn't look exciting but I love the process because you are turning

0:42:510:42:55

waste into something you can use and it is something we all have to do.

0:42:550:43:00

As Alun loads a tunnel, I feel like a midget in a giant's kitchen.

0:43:030:43:07

This tunnel is in fact a monster cooker which heats up

0:43:080:43:11

and kills unwanted bacteria in the food.

0:43:110:43:14

Alun is paid to take in the food waste.

0:43:180:43:21

-So it turns into a good business for him.

-It is fairly profitable.

0:43:210:43:25

Like any business you've got costs and overheads.

0:43:250:43:28

-It is more profitable than milking cows.

-Yes.

0:43:280:43:30

The Price brothers turn all the food waste into rich compost

0:43:370:43:40

which they can use themselves or sell.

0:43:400:43:43

And this is the end product.

0:43:460:43:48

Thick, lush compost. It's really quite moist and juicy.

0:43:500:43:54

Doesn't really smell but that is lovely and warm.

0:43:550:43:57

That composting process, but all this from rubbish.

0:43:570:44:01

Now at last I feel like a farmer again

0:44:150:44:17

because it's time to help Alun spread his compost on the fields.

0:44:170:44:20

When I first arrived - I have been in every machine here

0:44:240:44:27

and picking out plastic bags and sofas and broken records -

0:44:270:44:32

I felt like a million miles away from farming, but, the composting

0:44:320:44:36

and now putting it back on the grass that the cows are going to eat that you're going to milk

0:44:360:44:41

-and sell the milk to go into the shops.

-It is complete circle.

0:44:410:44:44

Jimmy Docherty looking at the use of farming land for recycling.

0:44:450:44:49

My journey is now reaching its end in the capital of Wales, Cardiff.

0:44:490:44:54

Nowhere quite says Cardiff like Cardiff Castle.

0:45:000:45:04

The Romans built a fort here, the Normans erected a keep

0:45:040:45:07

and over time, this site has established itself

0:45:070:45:10

as one of the UK's truly great medieval castles.

0:45:100:45:13

So it is a pretty good place from which to start a journey back in time.

0:45:130:45:17

Today, at Cardiff Castle, there is going to be a re-creation

0:45:170:45:21

of a 13th century joust, put on by the Knights of Royal England.

0:45:210:45:27

And in true medieval fashion, before the spectacle come the sideshows.

0:45:270:45:32

There are lots of school children here to see the action

0:45:350:45:38

and pick up a bit of first-hand history.

0:45:380:45:41

Jousting was a hugely popular form of entertainment

0:45:500:45:53

during the Middle Ages. But it was more than just a sport.

0:45:530:45:57

It helped knights keep fit between battles, honing skills

0:45:570:46:00

and improving strength.

0:46:000:46:02

The jousting knights represented their liege lord or entered

0:46:040:46:07

competitions to compete for prize money.

0:46:070:46:11

In this tournament, the knights in the red colours led by Sir Jasper

0:46:160:46:20

are battling those wearing blue and the kids love it!

0:46:200:46:24

CHILDREN CHEER

0:46:240:46:25

Sir Jasper is played by Jeremy Richardson.

0:46:520:46:55

Jeremy! I am in absolute awe, Sorry, I should say Sir Jasper.

0:46:570:47:02

-Why, thank you, Lady Helen.

-I am in absolute awe of what you did out there.

0:47:020:47:06

You organise and perform in the tournament and you look after the horses. Please tell me

0:47:060:47:10

you have been riding horses for a very long time.

0:47:100:47:13

I have, yes. I think if you have got to go out there

0:47:130:47:16

and you have to start thinking about how to ride

0:47:160:47:18

and thinking about the horse, then you have got a problem.

0:47:180:47:21

Once the horse is trained, it takes a couple of years,

0:47:210:47:24

once he is trained and sorted, he will be great for life, then.

0:47:240:47:27

-Tell me about this horse. Who is this?

-This is Debetto.

0:47:270:47:31

He's an Andalusian stallion.

0:47:310:47:33

And, as you can see, away from the arena, nice and quiet, lovable, nothing wrong with him.

0:47:330:47:38

Doesn't kick, bite, he's perfect.

0:47:380:47:40

Out in the arena, he is a wild beast!

0:47:400:47:42

CHEERING

0:47:420:47:45

'Looks like Ashley for the reds!'

0:47:450:47:48

-Is it dangerous?

-Yes. Yeah. It's dangerous. Horse-riding's dangerous.

0:47:480:47:54

-Have you ever been hurt?

-Yeah, lots.

0:47:540:47:57

Actually, when I was a teenager, more than later on in life.

0:47:570:48:01

But as a teenager, I got hurt a lot. Had a lot of falls and stuff.

0:48:010:48:05

Got a good few injuries, a good few broken shoulders and things.

0:48:050:48:09

But not too bad now. I get about one injury a year.

0:48:090:48:12

'Right, who wants to see a fight?!'

0:48:120:48:15

CHEERING

0:48:150:48:17

-How historically accurate is it?

-Reasonably. Probably about 75, 80%.

0:48:170:48:23

The main difference is, we put on a 45-minute jousting tournament,

0:48:230:48:26

that same jousting tournament would have lasted probably three days.

0:48:260:48:30

It's condensing everything that goes on in that tournament to 45 minutes.

0:48:300:48:34

So there's a lot more jousting and fighting and combat

0:48:340:48:37

and talking than you would normally see in a real jousting tournament.

0:48:370:48:40

Thank you for the show. Thank you, I'm going to let you de-robe...

0:48:400:48:45

-Undress!

-..the horse. Thank you!

0:48:450:48:47

Well, the rain has been almost torrential here in Cardiff

0:48:530:48:56

but it has not dampened our mood

0:48:560:48:58

and I will be getting into the fighting spirit a bit later on.

0:48:580:49:01

But first, here is the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.

0:49:010:49:04

'My journey today has taken me along the beautiful South Wales coast.'

0:51:070:51:11

I met lemurs in Tenby, visited the home of Dylan Thomas in Laugharne,

0:51:110:51:16

and admired monster marrows in Llanharry.'

0:51:160:51:19

'Now I've reached Cardiff and I'm about try my hand at medieval martial-arts.'

0:51:190:51:25

'Earlier on, we saw Mark Vance fighting in full armour.'

0:51:300:51:34

'Mark is trained in stage combat and has been performing with medieval swords for over 20 years.'

0:51:340:51:39

'I want to have a go,

0:51:390:51:41

but first, I asked him how he makes the fights look so realistic.'

0:51:410:51:45

The secret is that many of the moves we put in

0:51:480:51:51

come from real fighting manuals from the period. So they are real moves.

0:51:510:51:56

We just incorporate that into the staged combat.

0:51:560:51:59

If they're real moves, don't you ever get hurt?

0:51:590:52:02

Yes, which is why I am going to put you in some armour,

0:52:020:52:05

particularly gloves and a helmet.

0:52:050:52:08

-Oh, my parents will be pleased. Let's get me some armour.

-Get some armour.

0:52:080:52:12

Da-na! I thought I would feel like a fearless warrior.

0:52:160:52:20

That wasn't meant to happen, was it?

0:52:200:52:23

But I feel a bit cumbersome. It's heavy, isn't it?

0:52:230:52:26

-It's heavy, but you look good.

-Right.

0:52:260:52:30

-I want to look like a fighter.

-Let's teach you some moves.

-OK. This way.

0:52:300:52:35

Mark, this isn't just thrashing around with swords and cool costumes.

0:52:360:52:41

-These are actual moves from medieval times?

-Exactly.

0:52:410:52:44

Medieval knights were trained warriors.

0:52:440:52:47

These are real moves from a real sword fighting book that I'm going to show you.

0:52:470:52:51

It's Italian, it's called Flower Of Battle, it's 600 years old.

0:52:510:52:54

-OK.

-It's very much a Western martial art.

0:52:540:52:57

-Is this how you learnt, from this book?

-Yes.

0:52:570:53:01

-Left leg forwards. Hold the sword in both hands, right hand on top.

-OK.

0:53:010:53:05

The secret of a good cut, and this is a fendente cut,

0:53:050:53:09

the secret of it is you're not just hitting with your arms.

0:53:090:53:12

There's not enough power. If you're enemy is wearing armour, you won't get through.

0:53:120:53:16

What you need to do is step into the cut.

0:53:160:53:18

As the sword comes down, step forward.

0:53:180:53:20

-OK. You put all your body weight behind it.

-Yep.

0:53:200:53:25

Nice one.

0:53:250:53:27

Together.

0:53:270:53:28

Good.

0:53:300:53:32

-Ha-ha!

-That's your first cut. Next bit is to teach you how to block.

0:53:320:53:37

Start in this position, which is called "iron door" - porta de ferro.

0:53:370:53:41

I want you to step back and bring the sword up and strike mine.

0:53:410:53:46

-So knock your sword out of the way?

-Place it on it.

0:53:460:53:49

You're blocking, you're protecting this side of your body.

0:53:490:53:52

But keep the point pointing towards me.

0:53:520:53:55

When you work out a routine that you show to the public,

0:53:550:53:58

do you and your guys know what you're going to do next? Is it like a dance routine?

0:53:580:54:03

There are different ways to do it. Most of the fights that we do are pretty much free-flowing.

0:54:050:54:10

We've trained together, we know how each other fights

0:54:100:54:13

and we might put little bits in, some exciting bits.

0:54:130:54:17

An end or a star. But most of what is happening is as it happens.

0:54:170:54:21

So if it's as it happens and it is free-flowing,

0:54:210:54:24

presumably there are more accidents.

0:54:240:54:28

Well, yes and no. Because it's free-flowing, you have to watch.

0:54:280:54:32

Sometimes with over-choreographed fights, people are expecting something to happen

0:54:320:54:36

and when it doesn't, or happens in a different way, that's the danger.

0:54:360:54:41

So it keeps you sharper, if not all the moves are fully worked out.

0:54:410:54:45

-Back and block.

-Yes.

-And then you stab.

-Got it.

0:54:500:54:55

-Argh.

-Excellent.

0:54:560:54:58

When knights are wearing full body armour, it is incredibly tough stuff to cut through.

0:54:580:55:04

Your best way is to stab through it.

0:55:040:55:07

The extra control and the close grappling work means that it's far more effective

0:55:070:55:13

-if you grab the sword in a position like this.

-OK.

0:55:130:55:16

From here, you can use it to stab, you can also use this end to smash.

0:55:160:55:21

-Ooh!

-HE LAUGHS

0:55:210:55:25

And so you can also wrestle and push with it.

0:55:250:55:27

Mark, you've got the devil in your eyes when you do that!

0:55:270:55:30

There's a lot more control.

0:55:300:55:32

-I am going to mean it this time.

-Oh, gosh.

-Ready.

0:55:320:55:35

-Argh!

-Excellent.

0:55:380:55:39

This is a Western martial art.

0:55:390:55:42

This is as worthy as any of the martial arts that are around in modern times.

0:55:420:55:47

How popular is it?

0:55:470:55:49

It's one of the fastest-growing forms of martial art, historical martial arts.

0:55:490:55:53

There's a lot of treatises that have been translated or rediscovered in the last few years.

0:55:530:55:59

Italian ones, German one, English ones, that all date from the Middle Ages.

0:55:590:56:03

'My journey along the south coast of Wales has been enhanced by a series of colourful characters.'

0:56:110:56:17

'A designer-turned-zookeeper,

0:56:170:56:20

'a record-holding vegetable grower,

0:56:200:56:23

'a rock'n'roll poet...

0:56:230:56:24

'..jousting supremo Jeremy Richardson...

0:56:270:56:29

'..and a medieval martial arts expert, Mark Vance,

0:56:330:56:37

'who seems to have taught me rather well.'

0:56:370:56:39

-So, eyeball, so you can see when I start.

-OK.

0:56:390:56:42

Here we go. In you come.

0:56:420:56:44

Smash, slash, stab.

0:56:440:56:48

One in the thigh, one in the neck, and a jump on your chest just for good measure

0:56:480:56:52

and then go again! Yielded?

0:56:520:56:55

-Yeah.

-And I have ended my journey across the south coast of Wales on a high.

0:56:550:57:00

Come on, then, get ready for round two.

0:57:000:57:03

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:57:040:57:07

E-mail [email protected]

0:57:070:57:10

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