0:00:03 > 0:00:07The Brecon Beacons National Park covers an area of over 500 square miles
0:00:07 > 0:00:12and extends over nine counties in the southern half of Wales.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17It has terrific scenery and notoriously challenging landscapes.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21For many, it's a playground.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23For me, it's a place to escape.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26A place to be alone with nature.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Over the seasons, I'm exploring the magic of the Beacons.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39SHEEP BLEAT
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Emyr Williams and his son, Morgan, are gathering sheep off the
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Black Mountain foothills, in the western part of the Brecon Beacons.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58It's the last week in June and the sheep need to be sheared.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04There are over 1,000 farms in the Brecon Beacons
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and many of them are dependent on sheep for their survival.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16- Hello.- How are you, all right? - Not too bad, yourself?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Nice to see you gathering sheep on horseback.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Aye, not many doing it now.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23No, I'll tell you what, I walk the hills and you see them all on quads.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I just don't see people on horseback anymore.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28But this is the way it would've been done for years, isn't it?
0:01:28 > 0:01:31That's right, yeah. My father before me, that's all I remember, really.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33We do use a quad, obviously.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35And this is getting them off the hill now to go down for shearing.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Down for shearing now then, yeah.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- I bet the horses and the dog love it!- They enjoy it, yes.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The sheep appear to know their way. I'll walk with you.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- That's right, yeah. - So, you're saying your father
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- and your grandad have done this before you?- Yeah.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And I see you've got your son with you?
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- He comes along, he enjoys it, yeah.- Are you enjoying it?- Yeah.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Ah, good boy, da fachgen. Well done you, well done you.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00You go on, I know you've got a lot of work,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I'll try and catch up with you down the bottom here now.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17What's the advantage then, if most people go out on a quad
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and you still go on horses?
0:02:19 > 0:02:21What's the big advantage of using a horse?
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Well, because it's quieter.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Personally, I think it's more thorough.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30You tend to miss the odd ewe and lamb hiding in nooks
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and crannies, whereas you can look around as well on these.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39Horse's dying to go! Absolutely loving it, absolutely loving it!
0:02:39 > 0:02:41SHEEP BLEAT
0:02:41 > 0:02:44To make the job easier, Emyr is shepherding his flock down a narrow
0:02:44 > 0:02:48bridle way, next to the Sawdde Fechan, the river that eventually
0:02:48 > 0:02:51makes its way to the Tywi.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54These are ewes with this year's lambs.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57After the ewes have been sheared they'll all go back to hills
0:02:57 > 0:03:00to graze and Emyr and his son will have to gather them again during
0:03:00 > 0:03:05August, when the lambs are ready to be separated from their mothers.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Thank you very much for that, cheers! Good luck with the shearing!
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- Thank you very much.- Ta-ra, now!
0:03:23 > 0:03:27The Black Mountain area of the Brecon Beacons is the wildest
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and the most remote part of the National Park.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34On the Carmarthen Fan peaks you can get further away from a road
0:03:34 > 0:03:36than anywhere else in the park.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's a perfect place to raise a fox family.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I spent so much time, when I was a youngster,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48out on the hill and in the woods around my home in Mid Wales,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52looking at foxes on a lovely summer's evening like this.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And there's a fox's earth, I say fox's earth, it's actually
0:03:55 > 0:03:58an old badger's set - that's quite common with foxes,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02especially out on a hill like this and there's three cubs.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06One of them is a bit of a bully, that's probably the most dominant
0:04:06 > 0:04:09cub, it's jumping on the backs of all the others and sending them
0:04:09 > 0:04:10back down underground.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13This is a really good time to come and watch them,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16cos they don't wander far from the earth.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19The cubs are at least two months old now
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and the parents will be out looking for food somewhere
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and they'll hunt right up onto the high tops if they have to
0:04:24 > 0:04:28and earlier on in spring they will have been feeding on carrion.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29There'll be a lot of dead lambs,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31there'll be a lot of dead sheep up here.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33They'll be picking up now, I'd imagine,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36mainly things like mice and voles, especially in these wetter areas.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39That'll be full of mice and voles now and beetles
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and, when it's wet, earthworms as well.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45That actually makes up most of their food and the cubs will just hang
0:04:45 > 0:04:46around and play by the den.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50They'll work out a kind of hierarchy, they'll fight, they'll play-fight
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and that, of course, will be useful for later on in life when they
0:04:53 > 0:04:55themselves are learning how to hunt.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Then, the adults will come back, probably after dark
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and they'll regurgitate the food for the youngsters to eat.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05But it's a pretty idyllic life for these youngsters at the moment.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08When they grow up, of course, come September time, they'll get
0:05:08 > 0:05:13kicked out and then life becomes quite a bit more dangerous for them.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19It's anyone's guess how many foxes there are in the Beacons
0:05:19 > 0:05:22but they're everywhere and with so many sheep and lambs
0:05:22 > 0:05:26on the hills it's inevitable that many of these foxes will be culled.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31While hunting with hounds has been illegal now for over ten years,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33farmers can still legally shoot them.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44The hills of Mynydd Myddfai are in the north western
0:05:44 > 0:05:48part of the Brecon Beacons, near Llandovery.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53The slopes fall into the beautiful, rural valleys of Carmarthenshire.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58It's a place that's renowned for the legendary Physicians of Myddfai.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03They were 12th century herbalists who identified healing properties in
0:06:03 > 0:06:05the plants growing in the area.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09The Physicians of Myddfai, remarkably, we've got
0:06:09 > 0:06:13their manuscripts, so we've got their recipes.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Not only do they tell us the plant and what they're used for
0:06:16 > 0:06:19but they tell us how they made it.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Lara Bean grew up in Myddfai
0:06:21 > 0:06:25and the local heritage in medicine inspired her to become a herbalist.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So, we're looking at a hedgerow here, what are you looking for?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Are you just looking for common hedgerow plants?
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Yeah, anything basically, anything that has a medicinal value.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39So, here, for instance, we've got one of the most popular herbs
0:06:39 > 0:06:42that's used traditionally in this area, which is elderflower.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46This one is one you might have come across it talking to elderly folk,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49they'd talk about it for winter ills.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- You've come across that?- No, is it colds and things like that?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Completely, yeah, yes. So, they'd make it into a wine.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The white of the flower tells you that it's got flavonoids in it,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00which are anti-inflammatory.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04The berries, which we'll be coming on now, those are purple, which
0:07:04 > 0:07:07tells you that they have antioxidants, anthocyanin,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09which are those strong antioxidants.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11So, basically, a superfood
0:07:11 > 0:07:15but also really remarkably they've recently found this
0:07:15 > 0:07:19particular constituent in elderberries that's called antivirin
0:07:19 > 0:07:24and it basically stops the virus from reproducing in the body.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Scientists, these days,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30are looking in great detail for its antiviral properties.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Wow!- And particularly for some of the super-flues.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36And this is a common hedgerow plant?!
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I see you've got meadowsweet, we've got
0:07:38 > 0:07:40meadowsweet growing in the hedgerows.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Common plant now, of course, in high summer.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Meadowsweet's an interesting one because it shows the connection
0:07:45 > 0:07:47between orthodox medicine and plants.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51So, one of the plants that they extracted the active
0:07:51 > 0:07:55constituent, aspirin, and now it's just synthetically made.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58But interestingly, one of the main uses of meadowsweet, a very safe
0:07:58 > 0:08:01home use for meadowsweet is for digestive problems.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I would use it in my practice for stomach ulcers.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08It's been claimed that the birth of modern medicine can be traced
0:08:08 > 0:08:12back to the Physicians of Myddfai.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It may or may not be true but it's a nice thought that some of our
0:08:16 > 0:08:17modern day cures for headaches,
0:08:17 > 0:08:22coughs and sneezes have their roots in this stunning part of the Beacons.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30What I like most about the Brecon Beacons National Park is that
0:08:30 > 0:08:34it's big enough for plenty of quiet places off the beaten track.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40One of those locations is Penwyllt, in the Fforest Fawr area.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Penwyllt is Welsh for wild headland and it describes it perfectly.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50The Beacons' Way footpath, which runs the entire
0:08:50 > 0:08:54length of the national park, passes through this upland.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59It's a terrain littered with outcrops of limestone and grit stone.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03It's worth venturing off the path, just above Penwyllt here to come
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and have a look at this area of limestone pavement.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11It's worth coming here in summer because it's botanically very rich.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14You can see wild thyme with its lovely purple flowers.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Bird's-foot-trefoil is here as well but you'll also get these
0:09:18 > 0:09:22quite rare limestone specialists growing here.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And this is one of them, lily of the valley.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30A plant that you often see in gardens but it's actually a wild flower.
0:09:30 > 0:09:36And it's amazing to think that it grows here, nearly 1,500 feet,
0:09:36 > 0:09:41that's almost 500 metres, above sea level on the calcareous soil
0:09:41 > 0:09:44but that's where these grikes come in, these splits in the rock
0:09:44 > 0:09:49because it provides the shelter that it needs from the wind and the rain
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and the harsh conditions that you get up here, even sometimes
0:09:52 > 0:09:54in the middle of summer.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07This is a great place for common lizards as well.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10It's a good place for a variety of reasons, really.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13First of all, look at the rock, it's full of holes,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17it's full of cracks, so the lizards can tuck away in there,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20they can go underground as well over the winter months.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24When they do emerge, especially on a day like this, they get not just the
0:10:24 > 0:10:28warmth of the sun, cos bear in mind these are cold blooded animals,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30but they get the warmth from the rocks as well.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34The soil isn't very deep and I can feel the heat beneath me now
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and that's really good for insects.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Plenty of insects and plenty of ants here
0:10:39 > 0:10:44and funnily enough this one has got an insect crawling over its head.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It's just tried to eat it, I think it's got hold of it now.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Fan Gyhirych, part of the Fforest Fawr range,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08is another quiet peak for a lovely summer walk.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11It's an amphitheatre from which there are fabulous
0:11:11 > 0:11:12views of the national park.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26But at 725 metres, that's nearly 2,400 feet, conditions can change
0:11:26 > 0:11:29dramatically by the time you've reached the summit,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31even in the summer.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Visibility can reduce to a few metres in a matter of moments
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and you can easily end up in difficulty.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47There are four mountain rescue teams in the Brecon Beacons - Fan Gyhirych
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and the north part of the Beacons is covered by the Brecon team.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54There are around 50 volunteers who train weekly to be ready
0:11:54 > 0:11:57for any conceivable accident.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Katie Garnett has been with the team for 30 years.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03When I walk down that hill now, right,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06I arrived here and I thought, "What the hell's going on here?!"
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- It looked like a major incident. - It gave you a shock!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's an exercise, is it?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Yes, it is, yes and you see all our bright yellow jackets, which enable
0:12:14 > 0:12:17us to see each other and also if a helicopter comes in,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19if we're working with a rescue helicopter,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22they love to be able to see who we are
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and not be distracted by all the other people who've
0:12:25 > 0:12:27come around to see what's going on.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29One tail to the casualty, one tail to Nick.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31What's going on now,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33are you pretending someone's fallen off a cliff?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Yeah, there's a person who's fallen over the edge
0:12:36 > 0:12:37and he's called for help.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We're setting systems to bring him up safely.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42So, we're practicing putting in the stakes
0:12:42 > 0:12:44to lower the stretcher safely.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- And the background here, there'll be all kind of jobs?- Oh, everything!
0:12:47 > 0:12:53Teachers, company directors, fitness fanatics, housewives, shop keepers,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55you name it.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Lovely job, though, I'd imagine.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01When you come out, especially in bad weather, at night maybe, and you save
0:13:01 > 0:13:02lives - that must be lovely.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Oh, it's fantastic!
0:13:04 > 0:13:08It is fantastic and we've had some really moving rescues but we've
0:13:08 > 0:13:12also had some sad ones, as well, but that's when the team spirit brings
0:13:12 > 0:13:16us all together and we all get together and we support each other.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22What's the main reason people get lost or people get hurt
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and you have to get called out?
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I think underestimating the conditions.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28You're coming out today,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30it's been a beautiful day down in the valley,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32you're coming up here and you could be in shorts
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and trainers or something
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and if you didn't have a warm jacket then you'd be feeling that
0:13:37 > 0:13:41wind and if you happened to have an accident, if you slip, if you
0:13:41 > 0:13:45trip, twist an ankle, it's not a serious injury but you can't walk.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Then, you're at the mercy of the weather
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and waiting for somebody either to report that you're missing or
0:13:51 > 0:13:54that you've managed to call for help somehow or other.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04It's amazing to think that these are all volunteers,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06each and every one of them.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And they'll get, what, roughly 100 call outs a year
0:14:09 > 0:14:13and, unfortunately, of those maybe three or four are usually fatalities.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I'm really glad that they're out there, I really am!
0:14:27 > 0:14:30While the Brecon Beacons is famous for its challenging mountains
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and open moorland, it has a wide range of wild habitats.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39In the summer, wet pools in particular become a hive of activity.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55This is Traeth Mawr, it's a lovely little bit of common land,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57it is really, with a succession of pools.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00You can see Pen y Fan and Corn Du up there behind me
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and at this time of year, especially when the sun is out,
0:15:03 > 0:15:08it's a great place to come and see damselflies and dragonflies too.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Now, I know some of them but I don't know all of them, but over there
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Keith Noble, the County Recorder, is a man who knows all of them.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Hello, Keith!
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- Hi, Iolo!- You seen much?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23It's good today, there are lots of four-spotted chasers buzzing about.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So, these are all the same species, four-spotted chasers?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Today, yes, we've just got the one.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Later in the season, we'll get more coming out here.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33You are a dragonfly recorder?
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Every county in Britain has a dragonfly recorder
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and their business is to see what dragonflies
0:15:38 > 0:15:41they can find themselves and encourage other people to
0:15:41 > 0:15:43submit their sightings too.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47So, I have about 20 people feed in what they see to me and then I jot
0:15:47 > 0:15:52down everything I can see and this gets fed through to the local record
0:15:52 > 0:15:56centre and the British Dragonfly Society and so we know what's here.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- How many species of dragonfly in the whole of the UK?- It's about 50,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03if you're counting some of the migrants that are quite rare.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- And how many in the Brecon Beacons?- About 20.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- That's not bad, is it?- I've seen 15 here, just in this area.- Of course,
0:16:10 > 0:16:16what we see here now, that's only one small part of the whole life cycle,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- isn't it?- Yes, now, these have probably been under water for
0:16:19 > 0:16:22two years and some of the big ones, like golden-ringed,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23even four or five years.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25That's amazing, four or five years under water
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and then for just a few weeks they're an adult, flying around,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31they lay their eggs, pmff, they die and that's it.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33This is just the breeding bit but most of the life,
0:16:33 > 0:16:3590% of the life is underwater.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07This well-worn path has got to be the busiest
0:17:07 > 0:17:10one in the whole of the Brecon Beacons National Park,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13it's the route up to the top of Pen y Fan -
0:17:13 > 0:17:15the highest mountain in the Beacons.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17So, I'm going to go and join the masses.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22It's a popular walk and not least because it's
0:17:22 > 0:17:27so close to the A470, the main route from South to North Wales.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The steep climb is also helped by a defined path,
0:17:30 > 0:17:35that's well maintained by the summit's owner, The National Trust.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Summer's a busy time for both visitors and warden Rob Reith
0:17:42 > 0:17:43and his team.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- Hello there!- Hello there, how are you?- Not bad at all.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I'll have a sit down, if that's all right with you?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- Take a rest.- I'll tell you what, it's a long way up.- It is indeed.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- Cor! You've got to do this every day, have you?- Most days, yes.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- Up and down here.- Yes.- And what's this, footpath maintenance?
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Yeah, we're doing some erosion control,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06so a bit of stone drainage is what we're trying to do.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Trying to get the water off the footpath.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11So, this is more about water than people, really, is it?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14It's a mixture. First of all, I get the water off the footpath,
0:18:14 > 0:18:15by building a stone ditch.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Then, I will bring in some scalpage, which are small stone and dust,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22to place on top of the surface for a footpath.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So, what's the worst thing from the point of view of erosion,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28is it the thousands of people that come up or is it the water?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It's a mixture of both, I'm afraid.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Once the vegetation's been eroded by the walkers,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37the rain water then gets in and starts washing away the soil.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I mean, this last year,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42this footpath alone had a footfall of over 200,000.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44200,000 people coming up here?!
0:18:44 > 0:18:46That's amazing!
0:18:46 > 0:18:49What's this process now, you've got these stones here put aside,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52are these for putting in a row along the edge?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54These will be put in a row along the edge,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I will then be getting stone and putting in a base.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- Right.- That stops the water getting any deeper.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Then I'll put some stones in the side, which holds the bank in place.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Then I'm making sure that I create gaps, because I then want to put
0:19:07 > 0:19:10grass seed in the middle. So, eventually, I want the grass
0:19:10 > 0:19:14to actually grow through, hiding the stone pitching.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So, where does the water go?
0:19:16 > 0:19:20It then goes down the side ditch and then on to my cross-ditch, off.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Ah, right, then it runs down there.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And I'll do it quite frequently because I want to slow
0:19:24 > 0:19:28the speed and quantity of water running down certain sections.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Of all the thousands of visitors that come to the Beacons every year, the
0:19:33 > 0:19:37majority are day visitors from South Wales and many come to Pen y Fan.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41And this is why!
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Top of Pen y Fan, 886 metres above sea level,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57highest peak in the Brecon Beacons,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59highest peak in the whole of Southern Britain...
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and what a view?!
0:20:09 > 0:20:12The walk up here is pretty steep, it's pretty hard going
0:20:12 > 0:20:15but it's definitely well, well worth it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20It's no wonder that 200,000 people come up the top of Pen y Fan
0:20:20 > 0:20:21every year.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29The twin sandstone peaks of Pen y Fan and its partner Corn Du,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34together with the adjacent ridges and peaks, form the central Beacons.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40From here, you can see most of South Wales - a 360 degree panorama.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Translated, Pen y Fan literally is the Beacons' summit.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57There are many easier ways of exploring the Beacons than
0:20:57 > 0:20:59climbing the high peaks.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03This is the Brecon Mountain Railway.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Today, it's a tourist attraction but in the past it was an important
0:21:08 > 0:21:12route connecting the industrial south with rural Mid Wales.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17It's heading for the foothills of the Pen y Fan range
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and passing the Pontsticill Reservoir,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22which holds three and a half million gallons of water
0:21:22 > 0:21:24for the Merthyr Tydfil area.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Allan Foster is one of the train guards.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I've got to say, Allan, amazing views, aren't they?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It's absolutely stunning, isn't it?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36What's the history of this line, then?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Well, the original line used to be a standard gauge line
0:21:39 > 0:21:42running from the 1860s right through the 1960s.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- So, it ran for about 100 years.- Joining where?
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Well, it was knows as the Newport to Brecon line, basically
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and also the Merthyr line came into this as well.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54It ran with passengers as well as freight, iron, steel,
0:21:54 > 0:21:55coal and things like that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58So, this would have gone right through the Beacons
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- and all the way on to Brecon.- Exactly.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Yeah, it went right over the top, down to Talybont, then to Brecon
0:22:04 > 0:22:07but also up to Hay-on-Wye and up in that direction, as well.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I'll tell you what, that's a hell of a run down, isn't it?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I think it's a one in 37 incline on the other side,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15so, it's incredibly steep.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Hell of a job to come back up. - Yeah, exactly.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- When did this re-open?- They actually started running in 1980, with the
0:22:21 > 0:22:26steam train, up to Pontsticill, where we just passed and then
0:22:26 > 0:22:30only last year we started running right up into the mountains.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32It's beautiful once you get up there!
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Look at that for a view, look at it!
0:22:40 > 0:22:42TRAIN WHISTLES
0:22:52 > 0:22:54It's a lovely journey on the train
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and most passengers just stop here for a few minutes
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and climb back on the train for the return journey but for me it would
0:23:01 > 0:23:05simply be a one way ticket to explore the hills and the wildlife.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12I'm heading next to an important hill for birds, near Abergavenny.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17This is the Blorenge.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21In the winter, it's a wild, exposed, barren hill but during spring
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and summer the thick plant growth of heather, bracken
0:23:23 > 0:23:28and small bushes makes it a fantastic habitat for ground-nesting birds.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34By June, many of the birds have finished nesting but
0:23:34 > 0:23:38if it's a cold spring and summer some will continue well into the summer.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Steve Smith has been checking the population of breeding birds
0:23:44 > 0:23:47here on the Blorenge for as long as I can remember.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Hello there, Steve.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Iolo, how are you? - How are you, boy, all right?
0:23:51 > 0:23:52- All right, fella.- Nice to see you.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Good to see you too. - What have we got there now?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We've got a small brood of windchats here, about a week old or so.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I'm just about to ring them now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- Right.- I've got a feeling there's only four,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and one of those might be worse for wear.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Actually, it might be a dead chick in the nest.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Normally, a brood is...first brood will be about six but it's not been
0:24:11 > 0:24:13the best year for the birds.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- It's cold, Steve, isn't it? - Absolutely.- Middle of June,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18high summer it should be. It's really cold!
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I wonder if you could do me a favour?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Once I ring the birds I'll be passing them onto you.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24They're a week old but unfortunately
0:24:24 > 0:24:27there's not a huge amount of food around, I don't think.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31So, I'm just going to put an A-ring on this little chap.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34They're doing all right in the Brecon Beacons, are they, on the whole?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Generally speaking, they are.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Thank you, Iolo.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41There's peaks and troughs, there's a much larger chick there, you see?
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Yeah, yeah, that actually looks like a windchat, that one, doesn't it?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47That's beginning to get the black band across the eyes.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51- Yeah, indeed.- Smart, little thing.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54He's getting the majority of the food from the parents here.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Pop that in the bag for me.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02This is quite a large one too, so this is quite a healthy chick also.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Yeah, let's just hope, I mean, if it warmed up now
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and the food increased, even the young one might survive,
0:25:07 > 0:25:08- mightn't it?- Absolutely.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14- So, this is the little chap that I'm fearful for.- That one there?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17He's a scrawny, little thing and he was already dead
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- in the nest, you see.- Poor thing.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24You know, we don't want this thing to start smelling in the nest. No.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I'll keep him out for the sake of the other birds.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Right, so it's going to be brood of three.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32A very small brood, that's only 50%.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33The biggest concern
0:25:33 > 0:25:36when ringing birds is the time spent near the nest,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39especially when it's a tough year for the parents.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43During a cold summer, insects are hard to find,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46so the quicker we leave the quicker the parents can get on with
0:25:46 > 0:25:48the job of looking after the chicks.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Wildlife and landscape are extremely sensitive to people, climate
0:26:03 > 0:26:07and anything else that can harm the natural balance of a habitat.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13The summit of Pen Trumau in the Black Mountains has been damaged.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17It's been like this for 40 years, since a fire burning for three weeks
0:26:17 > 0:26:21exposed underlying peat during the hot summer of 1976.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28A group of dedicated volunteers is climbing the 700 metre hill
0:26:28 > 0:26:30to help patch it up.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36They've been doing this every summer for the past five years.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Graham Cowden is one of the volunteers.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Hello there!
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I saw you all coming up the hill, I thought
0:26:44 > 0:26:46it was some kind of pilgrimage.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48About ten people following two horses!
0:26:48 > 0:26:50What's going on here then?
0:26:50 > 0:26:54We're experimenting in some ways with the use, in this case,
0:26:54 > 0:27:00scoured wool but we've also got raw wool here from the local graziers,
0:27:00 > 0:27:05in an attempt to slow down the water to try and help this area of exposed
0:27:05 > 0:27:09blanket bog and hopefully get it restored.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12There should be a thick layer of peat here
0:27:12 > 0:27:15but the damaged bog can not retain water
0:27:15 > 0:27:19and is continually being eroded by run-off water from rainfall.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Artist Pip Woolf came up with the idea of using locally sourced
0:27:23 > 0:27:25wool to help restore the area.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28You've got dozens of volunteers, haven't you?
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- 1,000 people have been involved in this project.- Honestly, that many?!
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Some of them don't come up here.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37In the first year we hand-made the felt, which is
0:27:37 > 0:27:39a very labour intensive process.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Everyone that came near me made felt
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and we laid 300 metres across here and the line is still visible.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47It's the thinking -
0:27:47 > 0:27:51how can we return this landscape to a working, physical thing?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54This is a very powerful landscape and we are part of it.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Pip Woolf and her team may never be able to restore
0:28:00 > 0:28:02the summit of Pen Trumau.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06After all, it's a blanket bog that's taken thousands of years to form.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13The fact is, the Brecon Beacons is a fragile landscape and it
0:28:13 > 0:28:16needs the respect of all of us.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Next time, it's the autumn,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25the Beacons enters its most colourful season, and both people
0:28:25 > 0:28:29and wildlife do what they can before the long, cold days return.