0:00:03 > 0:00:05There are over 30 country parks in Wales.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Thousands of people visit them every year.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Some are old estates of wealthy landlords...
0:00:15 > 0:00:18..some are old industrial sites.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20The parks are usually close to towns,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24and that's because they've been set aside for us to enjoy
0:00:24 > 0:00:25on our doorstep.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26But what I like about them most
0:00:26 > 0:00:29is that they're great places for wildlife.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33If you keep your eyes open, you will see some great sights.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I'm on Llyn Padarn.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04It is the second largest natural lake in the whole of Wales
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and it lies at the northern edge of the Snowdonia National Park.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12And all around me here you can see some of the high mountains.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And in the distance over there is the highest of them all, Snowdon.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21And today, the lake is in the centre of a fantastic country park.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Padarn Country Park is next to the town of Llanberis,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31the departure point for the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The country park is set in a stunning landscape
0:01:38 > 0:01:40surrounded by mountains.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45It has been largely created on the site
0:01:45 > 0:01:46of the old Dinorwic Slate Quarry.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It's a busy tourist destination
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and the National Slate Museum is also based in the park.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Slate mining on a vast scale began here during the 19th century.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08At its peak, Dinorwic employed more than 3,000 men,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and it was the second largest
0:02:10 > 0:02:12opencast slate producer in the world.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17These workers were working, in effect, on cliff faces
0:02:17 > 0:02:19on one of the highest mountains in Snowdonia.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I can only imagine the hard conditions these men faced
0:02:26 > 0:02:27during a working day.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39At the time, it was pretty much the only work available in the area,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and this is where most men would end up for virtually their entire lives.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Like many old industries, slate mining eventually declined
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and, in 1969, Dinorwic Quarry closed.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Much of the quarry was acquired by the local county council
0:03:06 > 0:03:09to protect it as an industrial heritage site
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and for the creation of a country park.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16BIRDSONG
0:03:28 > 0:03:31There are some footpaths through this quarry.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33You've got to stick to the path
0:03:33 > 0:03:35because it's quite a dangerous place, really, but listen to this.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Listen to that. BIRD CALLS
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Can you hear that? That's a fantastic early-morning call.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44And if you come here in late March, early April, you'll hear this.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It's a ring ouzel. Now, a ring ouzel now is one
0:03:46 > 0:03:49of the most sought-after birds in the whole of the UK.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52All the birders say, "Oh, I'd like to see a ring ouzel."
0:03:52 > 0:03:54And here's one singing, just behind me.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And now is the time, late March, early April,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59because they are just back from North Africa,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and this is a male establishing his territory here.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And he's picked the perfect spot,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08because he is right on the edge of a sheer cliff there,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and he's got the quarry like an amphitheatre,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17all around him. So that song is carrying for kilometres,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and any female nearby is going to think,
0:04:19 > 0:04:20"Oh, there's a male around."
0:04:20 > 0:04:22In she comes. But fabulous!
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Just don't hear that anywhere near often enough these days.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Dinorwic Quarry was a huge site.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Some of the working levels were high up on the mountainside
0:04:44 > 0:04:46at around 500 metres above sea level.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Although the scars of the old industry are still here,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54nature is gradually reclaiming this beautiful landscape...
0:04:55 > 0:04:57..and it's a perfect place for mountain goats.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06They're not naturally wild and they're also not native to Wales.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12They were brought here by different people centuries ago
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and over the years they escaped, and today roam much of Snowdonia.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Padarn Country Park is probably one of the best places to see them and,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30during early spring, you'll be sure to see young kids.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:05:42 > 0:05:43The trains of the old quarry
0:05:43 > 0:05:46have been lovingly restored by Llanberis Lake Railway,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49which is one of the attractions of Padarn Country Park.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54This locomotive is being prepared for service by Jenny Gorton.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Hiya.- Hiya.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00You're lighting the boiler?
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Yeah, lighting it, getting the fire going to get the steam for the day.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05And I see on here it says 1922.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Is that when she was built?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09That was the year she was first built in Leeds, yeah.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Wow! Cos they're beautiful things,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14they really are lovely-looking things.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16They've got a heart and soul, haven't they?
0:06:16 > 0:06:19You're right, they have. And your job, then, is...
0:06:19 > 0:06:22What are you? An engineer of some kind?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- I'm the chief engineer here. - Chief engineer?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So my job's basically to look after the engines.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30So, if anything goes wrong, you and the team then
0:06:30 > 0:06:32have to make sure that it's fixed and that they're going back again?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- That's right, yeah. - And now, of course,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36they run along the edge of the lake here.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Yes, along from Llanberis
0:06:37 > 0:06:40in the village opposite Snowdon Mountain Railway
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- right to the far end of the lake. - How many of these are there?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45I see you've got three out here now.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Well, we've got these two steam engines, there's the diesel...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Oh, right.- ..that we use to get the coaches out in the morning.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Yeah.- And then we've got a third steam engine, just like these,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57which is currently being rebuilt at the moment in our workshop here.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59And would all of these have worked here originally?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Yes, they all came from the quarry.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Did they?- They were all bought, when the quarry closed, by this company.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Wow! And do you know what?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07You've looked after them really, really well.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I would imagine they're in better condition now
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- than they were when they were working.- Quite probably.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15They had a hard life in the quarry and the emphasis was more on getting
0:07:15 > 0:07:17the job done than keeping them in immaculate condition.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50During early spring, birds are beginning to nest in the park.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56These bluetits have found a perfect place in the workshop building.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04But the best place to find nesting birds
0:08:04 > 0:08:07is in the ancient woodland on the east side of Llyn Padarn.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13BIRD CALLS
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's amazing that these trees have survived two centuries of mining,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30but, thankfully, this woodland is largely untouched,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and it's a nesting site for one of Wales' most important migrants,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35the pied flycatcher.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44They're lovely birds.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46They really are smart birds, these pied flycatchers.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48The male and female are very different.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50He's striking, a really striking black and white.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53She's more camouflaged, really, sort of brown and white.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56And morning's the best time, not just because now's the time
0:08:56 > 0:09:00that they sing, they'll find a perch and they'll advertise territory now,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04but their nest-building takes place in the morning as well.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06And she, at the moment, she's looking round,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08she's looking for old leaves,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10she's looking for bits of grass to line the nest.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Many of the pied flycatchers that come from Africa to Britain
0:09:18 > 0:09:21every spring end up in Welsh woodlands,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24particularly in these ancient oak woodlands of Snowdonia.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32If you come here during the first week in May,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34when the leaves have not fully opened
0:09:34 > 0:09:36and when the migrant birds have just returned,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39you'll also hear and see another lovely bird
0:09:39 > 0:09:41in Coedwig Dinorwic.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43WARBLING TWEETS
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Can you hear that call?
0:09:48 > 0:09:50That's a wood warbler.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It's another migrant and it's literally just arrived in now,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55the last day or two.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59That's a more familiar song, this lovely descending song, its call.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01And they'll perch up,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04quite close by often in these woods,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and it'll sing and sing and sing and sing and sing
0:10:06 > 0:10:08until it attracts a mate.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10And if you want to see these, now's the time to come,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12before the leaves arrive.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14You'll get lovely views.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17A lot of people say about warblers they are not very interesting birds,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20but the wood warbler is actually quite a beautiful little bird.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23There he goes again. It's a lovely song.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's a colourful sort of yellowy green colour
0:10:26 > 0:10:28with a bright white belly.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It really is a lovely bird and I always think, with the wood warbler,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34that it's a sign, not just of spring,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36but the fact that summer isn't far away.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Although this beautiful ancient woodland
0:10:51 > 0:10:54was largely unaffected by mining, you'll find
0:10:54 > 0:10:58some old quarry buildings hidden away amongst the trees,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and they were sited here for a very good reason.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05This is where the gunpowder was kept for the quarry.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09I'm with local historian Gareth Roberts.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It's sitting here, on its own, in the wood.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Yes, it's holding such dangerous, volatile...
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Well, it's basically nitro-glycerine powder.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20And it can blow up...
0:11:21 > 0:11:24..on anything, any heat, that sort of thing.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26So it needed to be tucked out of the way?
0:11:26 > 0:11:28As far away as possible.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And here we are, here's your first clue about the volatility
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- of what's being kept in here. - Look at the thickness of that wall!
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- Look at the thickness of that. - Look at that!- Yeah, yeah.- Wow!
0:11:38 > 0:11:40And the other thing, it's double walled, double hulled.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Oh, I can see that, yeah.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44So you can actually walk around in like a little
0:11:44 > 0:11:46corridor sort of thing.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48There's another one in here.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50So there's another compartment.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- No windows.- No, no.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55There is one there but that doesn't go out, OK,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58because that's a double-hulled wall over there.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Now, the thing that happens here is that the roof, when it was roofed,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06was deliberately weak so that if there was any explosion here,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10the power of that explosion would go upwards into the air
0:12:10 > 0:12:14instead of sideways. It would go sideways, of course, as well...
0:12:14 > 0:12:16But the thick wall and the double walls would prevent that
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- as much as possible.- So the whole reason for the double wall is that,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22if these walls explode,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27the first wall takes away the strength of the explosion as much as
0:12:27 > 0:12:31possible so that by the time it hits the second wall,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34it then dissipates the explosion even further.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- Wow!- So, hopefully, it encloses the explosion as much as possible.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40And these things, they'd explode.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Well, this one hasn't, obviously, because it's in pretty good shape.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46There's probably, underneath us, another foot, maybe two,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50there's probably also a slate floor to try and keep this stuff
0:12:50 > 0:12:53as cold as possible so that...
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Because, you know, we get hot summers, just like everywhere else.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00What's fascinating now, it's been abandoned for who knows how long,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02but nature's taken over.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05You've got maidenhair, spleenwort everywhere and,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07if you look behind you here, look at that,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10you've got a wren building a nest. Look at that! Isn't that brilliant?
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Nature is taking over many of the quarry's relics,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26and the old work levels
0:13:26 > 0:13:29are favourite places for slowworms, our legless lizards.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Local wildlife guide Gareth Jones monitors them.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37And look here.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- No, I can't see any. - No, no, nothing.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45OK, let's put that one back down.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51So, when do you come to monitor these usually, then?
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Oh, I caught my finger under that one!
0:13:53 > 0:13:55I usually come about...
0:13:57 > 0:13:59..end of March onwards.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So that's when it starts to warm up, does it?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- Yeah, yeah. - They're going to be out and about?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05A nice big flat one here.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06If you lift that one,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I'll have a shufty underneath, see what we can see.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Oh, wow!
0:14:14 > 0:14:15- There's two there.- What a beauty!
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Oh, there are, yes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Wow, look at that! I tell you what, I won't touch them.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- That's a big female there. - There's one, look. Look at that!
0:14:22 > 0:14:25That's quite nice. That's a young female.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26That's a big old female, isn't it?
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Look at the size on her!
0:14:29 > 0:14:30Tucked in perfectly.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Wow! That is a beauty.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34And female because of the line down the back.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Black stripe, yeah. The males have got, like, blue diamonds
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- all the way along the middle. - Oh, have they?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Oh, little beauties!
0:14:41 > 0:14:43And, of course, here is ideal for them.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It's an old industrial site
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but it's got all these flat slates everywhere,
0:14:48 > 0:14:49- so it's perfect.- Ideal.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Lots of places to hide and lots of food, Gareth.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Obviously plenty of slugs and ants here for them.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Yeah, because there are ants everywhere here.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I mean, she's in the perfect place.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02All she's got to do is lie there and open her mouth every now and again,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05let the ants go in, chew on those and say, thank you very much!
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Llyn Padarn is around two miles long
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and reaches depths of up to 30 metres.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17It's amongst the deepest lakes in Wales,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and it's a special site in the country park
0:15:19 > 0:15:22as it is one of the few lakes in Britain where you find
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Arctic char, a rare fish that's a living relic
0:15:25 > 0:15:29from the time when the lake was formed soon after the Ice Age.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37They are one of the park's hidden secrets.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Above the surface,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50the lake is better known for its outdoor pursuits.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's one of the prime spots in Snowdonia for water sports.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Sorcha is one of the instructors on the lake.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Hiya.- Hello.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- Paddle boarding?- Yes.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I had a go at this last year. I was rubbish.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09SHE LAUGHS
0:16:09 > 0:16:10Don't fall in, whatever you do.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12You were rubbish? I can't imagine you being rubbish.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I was. No, I was rubbish at it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I don't know. I just couldn't get my balance on it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19So, what's this? This is a class you're taking, is it?
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Yes, just a bit of instruction, really,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24just going through the fundamentals of stand-up paddle boarding.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Having a bit of a play about, really.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And you've got the kayaks and the canoes out as well.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32- Yeah.- Is the lake good for this or would you be better off on the sea?
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Oh, I think the lake's fantastic to learn in and to teach in.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39It's a very sheltered area and provides a great environment
0:16:39 > 0:16:42for beginners as well as people who want to kind of progress their level
0:16:42 > 0:16:44but in quite a very safe environment,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48because all of these lagoons around here are very sheltered.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51But then, as soon as you break out of these lagoons on a very choppy
0:16:51 > 0:16:53or windy day, you do get a whole different type
0:16:53 > 0:16:56of environmental issues, kind of like wind,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and you do get a little bit of a kind of baby waves
0:16:58 > 0:17:00that you have to deal with.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02So the currents do tend to be created as well,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05so if you did want to push yourself as well...
0:17:05 > 0:17:06The lake is perfect for all levels.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09And, I suppose, if things do go wrong, all that's going to happen,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11you're going to go from here to the far side.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12And that's not even that far.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Most people swim over to that side and back on a daily basis.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17And the great thing about the lake is it's really shallow
0:17:17 > 0:17:20the whole way round, so you can walk round the whole lake
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and never really be committing to anything too dangerous.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24And it's nice, it's really nice
0:17:24 > 0:17:28to see so many people coming here and taking advantage of the lake,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- you know, it really is.- And as soon as the sun comes out as well,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32it's like a little hive for everyone.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35You get loads of children down in the pontoon, playing about,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and loads of swimmers.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I think it's wonderful.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45And that's the nature of a country park - it's for everyone and,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47although it's busy, particularly during the summer,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50it's big enough for some quiet spots.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58At the Snowdon end of the lake, you'll find Dolbadarn Castle.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It was built by Llewellyn the Great during the 13th century
0:18:03 > 0:18:06to guard the main route through Llanberis Pass.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13For such a busy park,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16there's actually quite a nice quiet bit here.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's the river that flows from Llyn Peris just over there,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22with the mountains around it, into Llyn Padarn down below.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It's a very slow-moving section of river
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and it's very good for insects.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30You'll have different hatches at different times of the year.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32You'll have your caddis flies hatching out,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34you'll have your mayflies hatching out,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36you'll have your midges as well.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And that means that, whenever you come here on a warm, still morning,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44just like it is now, lots of insects above the water.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47And what's interesting is that four, five, six, maybe,
0:18:47 > 0:18:48swallows have come,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51probably ones that are nesting in the old slate buildings there.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54They've come down here to feed, and you see them skimming...
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Here's one now. Skimming over the surface of the water, beak open,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01literally hoovering up all of these insects.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It's a brilliant place for them to just come and feed.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39One flooded part of the old quarry is used for scuba diving training.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I can testify that this is very deep,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46cold water as this is where I learnt to dive.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Geoff Williams was amongst the last men to be employed here
0:19:51 > 0:19:53when it was a working quarry.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's a fair old size as well, isn't it?
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It's only when you come in and stand like this
0:19:58 > 0:20:01you see how big they are. Now, you worked here?
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Yes, I started in '63 and I did my apprenticeship.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It closed in '69.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- Doing what?- Slate making.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Out of the blocks you had the slate.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You had to split them to start with
0:20:17 > 0:20:20for roughly the first year, probably,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23but if the teacher said that you'd passed,
0:20:23 > 0:20:24then you had to trim the slates.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27So it was a long apprenticeship, then?
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- Yes.- As an old quarryman yourself, it's now a country park.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- Yes.- And it's being used again for different things.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Does that please you, the fact that it's still being used?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Yes, of course.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44It's a lot better than being kept to go downhill, really,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46with nothing here to do.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50There are climbers, there are divers in the lakes here,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53there are cycle paths all along the side of the quarry,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56places to run and keep fit and things like that.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Not as busy as it was but still fairly busy.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Very busy, yes.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It's nice to see, I think, that it's become a country park,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and the people can come. Yes, they can enjoy the peace, the solitude,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10the wildlife, but they can learn about the history as well.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Yes, they can.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I've come down to the shallow end of the lake here now
0:21:49 > 0:21:53and just look at that dramatic scenery behind me.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56And the moods here change constantly, especially now.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59As we come into autumn, it looks more threatening,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02the wind has picked up and it's quite a bit cooler as well.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05And I've come down here because some friends who fish the lake,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07they tell me it's a good place for otters.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Now, they are mainly nocturnal, especially here.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13You don't see them by day very often but, down towards this end,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17it's more sheltered and you get flatter rocks as well.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19And what I'm going to do is I'm going to have a look
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and see if I can find signs that the otters have been there,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24maybe bits of fish, maybe some spraint.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26So we'll go down and have a look.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Here we are, look. This is perfect.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I've picked up my trusty trail camera here,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and you can see the marks,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45old spraint marks here,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48where it's coloured the rock a little bit.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Quite a few of them, actually. Some fresher stuff here, too.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52Look at that there.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54See that? That's very fresh otter spraint.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57That's still wet, actually, that one.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Yeah. Phew! That's definitely otter spraint.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01So, what I'm going to do is put this up here,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05maybe pointing towards the end here, and if anything comes up anywhere...
0:23:05 > 0:23:08That's the joy of these, if anything moves on here,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11this'll get it while I'm snoring away in my bed, hopefully.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Right, let's get this set up now.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35'The next morning, it was time to see
0:23:35 > 0:23:37'what was caught on the trail camera.'
0:23:37 > 0:23:40So, really interesting stuff going on here last night.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Quite a bit of activity as well.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47There we are. It's an otter, just leaving the stone here,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49going into the water,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53going on to that stone and then going over and back into the water.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Quite brief, quite brief, but that was at 1am -
0:23:56 > 0:23:58pitch-black then, of course.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Let's have a look at this next one now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03That's quite nice. That's just again very, very brief.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06That was a camera I put on that rock, looking this way.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08You can see the camera, this one, on the rock,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11and the otter just going into the water.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14So they obviously visit this regularly.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I would imagine what's happening is that they're coming on here
0:24:17 > 0:24:21to spraint. There's some very fresh spraint there.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23That was from last night,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25so one of the otters coming on here
0:24:25 > 0:24:28would have just sprainted, I think, there.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Got one more to have a look at.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Oh, look at that. Look at that! Right up to the camera.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Oh! Think we can safely say that's a male,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38a rather well-endowed male there!
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And I'm pretty sure that that would have been him coming right
0:24:41 > 0:24:44where I am now, sprainting, leaving his mark,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46warning any other otter, look,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49there's already an otter on this territory, keep away.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53So he's sprainted there and he's gone back into the water.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55That's really nice, right by the camera, too.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Let's have a look at this last one.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00All right, there's another... Oh, two otters!
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Oh, that's nice! Look at that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06It's a dog otter up on here and a female otter just down here.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09They've both gone into the water, diving down, away they go,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and they both go off together.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Well, that's really, really nice.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16That's lovely, seeing both of them like that.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19We shouldn't be shocked either, really, because when I was a lad
0:25:19 > 0:25:22otters were quite rare, but this part of North Wales,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25this was their stronghold, even then,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and there would have been otters here back then as well.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29So they are doing really well, here.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33It's a lake, it's got a lot of fish here, it's ideal for them,
0:25:33 > 0:25:34but that's absolutely brilliant.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37There's some lovely views of otters there.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48As we move later into the autumn,
0:25:48 > 0:25:52the fruit-bearing trees that have spread up the old slate tips
0:25:52 > 0:25:54add colour to what was once a grey landscape.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05It's a fantastic autumn for berries, especially for rowan.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I've got a rowan behind me here,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and it's absolutely laden with these bright, bright red berries.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And now that we are into October
0:26:14 > 0:26:17we've got these winter thrushes arriving from Scandinavia,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21and we've got probably a couple of dozen redwing in here, beautiful,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24small, about the size of a song thrush maybe,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27with this bright red underwing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And they are coming in... Here's one now, just landed on a berry there.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33They are coming in, feeding on berries, gorging themselves,
0:26:33 > 0:26:34not staying for long,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37then they'll go off and they'll digest those berries,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39and they come back and feed up again.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41And sometimes, when you get large numbers,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44they'll strip the whole tree and then move on.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Many of these redwing will hang around Padarn Country Park
0:27:05 > 0:27:07until the berries have all been eaten.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12They will then move on to look for a new crop in another area
0:27:12 > 0:27:16and overwinter in Wales before returning to Scandinavia to nest
0:27:16 > 0:27:17the following spring.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Llyn Padarn behind me here and, of course,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32the otters we saw were right down the far end.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35They are probably tucked away in a holt somewhere now.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38And this ancient woodland here, oak dominated -
0:27:38 > 0:27:39that probably hasn't changed
0:27:39 > 0:27:41for hundreds of years, I don't think.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And this, it's a real place of contrast.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47You've got natural beauty, iconic landscapes,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51probably some of the most famous landscapes in the whole of Britain,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and then you've got man-made scars.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Man has literally carved out the mountainside here.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And now, of course, this is a place of leisure,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03this is a place for walking, for biking, for climbing.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I wonder what the old quarrymen would think of that.