0:00:03 > 0:00:07Wales has terrific landscape
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and it's been enjoyed and exploited for centuries.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14It's been shaped by nature and by man.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17My name is Iolo Williams.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I'm on a tour of the rugged countryside of Wales.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Wow. Look at that.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It's my choice of some of the best wild and industrial landscapes,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and the wildlife that lives in them.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I'll be meeting people who live, work and play
0:00:32 > 0:00:35in this spectacular scenery.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I'll be finding out why they love it so much.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Beautiful display, you can't really miss the lapwing.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'll be exploring the sea and I'll be visiting industrial sites
0:00:47 > 0:00:51once exploited, but now being won over by nature.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55I'll be finding out how the Welsh landscape is being used today,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59and discovering some surprising wildlife
0:00:59 > 0:01:02right amongst this dramatic activity.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It rains in Wales. As a matter of fact, it rains a lot.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18And water is responsible for much of the beauty of Wales.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21We have great rivers,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24beautiful lakes,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28some stunning gorges.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33There are also artificial reservoirs, equally as striking.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Here, water is being exploited as a valuable resource.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42And water contributed hugely to the industrial history of the country.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And it, too, has had a big effect on the landscape and wildlife.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Later, I'll be looking at industrial Wales -
0:01:52 > 0:01:56how industry reshaped the land and, as the work ended,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59how nature returned to exploit the new terrain.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05I'll be looking at how constructions associated with industry,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09like canal and railway building, had an impact on the Welsh landscape.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14And, in turn, how they became fabulous habitats for wildlife.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I'll be visiting one of Wales' great parks - it's an incredibly
0:02:18 > 0:02:21rich landscape and it's been created by industrial wealth.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29The high rainfall, together with craggy uplands,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32means that Wales has some impressive waterfalls.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36This is Melincourt Waterfall, in the Vale of Neath in South Wales.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39This is Aber Falls in Snowdonia.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43They're spectacular in full flow.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49But my favourite is in Mid-Wales, a few miles west of Oswestry.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54It's no wonder, is it, that Pistyll Rhaeadr is one of the seven wonders of Wales?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Just look at it. Absolutely stunning.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03But what a lot of people don't know is that it is, in fact, higher than Niagara Falls.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It's almost 80 metres tall.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10And the water has sculpted this shape here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Basically, you've got hard rock overlying softer rock
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and over thousands of years,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20the soft rock, thanks to the water and the ice and the wind,
0:03:20 > 0:03:26has been sculpted away, so that today, it cascades down 240 feet.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35When you put it in these wonderful surroundings here, it really is one of Wales' jewels.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45This continuous drenching promotes an incredibly rich plant growth.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Some of the ferns and mosses growing here are rare -
0:03:51 > 0:03:56they only grow in western Britain, where the climate is mild and the rainfall is high.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Water not only fuels life, it also has an erosive effect on the landscape.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Sometimes, it can produce deep ravines.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10In Wales, we have many inaccessible gorges,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14except, of course, for those who enjoy a challenge.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Gorge walking, or canyoning as it's also called,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28is the new sport of Welsh rivers.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32I was persuaded by local water sports guide Mark Lind
0:04:32 > 0:04:37to take part in a gorge walk in a challenging ravine in Gwynedd.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41So, how popular is canyoning, or gorge walking, now?
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Well, in North Wales, probably over the last three of four years,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47the amount of usage here has doubled.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I suppose one of the biggest problems, looking at it from
0:04:50 > 0:04:54a naturalist's point of view is that it's such a specialised environment,
0:04:54 > 0:04:59full of rare plants, there's the potential there for quite a bit of conflict.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03What we have is the code of conduct for gorges in North Wales.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07It means that, as a group leader, we need to have some training
0:05:07 > 0:05:11and some input from the experts that look after the environment.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16We always stay to the same scour zone where the water's flowing over the rock.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18It means that we're not damaging it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22We're going across the top of the waterfall here?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Yep. Pretty much scrambling along this ledge.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30And, er, at this point, we come to the only way down.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- So we abseil down this next bit? - We're going to abseil down into the pool.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39And this whole path that we've followed all the way down, down here and on again,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- we're avoiding all the really sensitive plants here?- Yeah.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48So it means you can marry having fun, having a laugh,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- but also not desecrating the environment?- Absolutely.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Right, abseiling down, then. - Away we go.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00That's good.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Well, very enjoyable, but pretty cold.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22The oldest river pastime in Wales is a very different experience -
0:06:22 > 0:06:26more leisurely and with a tasty reward at the end.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I'm joining Mark Jones and Ian Harries,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39both coracle fishermen on one of Wales' finest rivers, the Teifi.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This beautiful section is near Cardigan, West Wales.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- How much net have you got out there now, boys?- We've got about a fathom,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52which will take us down into the deeper part
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and we'll drop down about another half a fathom again then.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58You must know the bottom of this river like the back of your hand.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01You get a bit of a mental picture in your head of what it looks like,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04the stones, rock, things in the bottom. And, hopefully, fish.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- And you're fishing for what now, then?- For sea trout.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- For sea trout? - For sea trout on the 1st June and then we can fish for salmon...
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- Ah, right.- ..till the end of August.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19The net's forming a little purse as it goes down the river.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22There's a wall of mesh and they swim into a purse.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27- Right.- Then, I just pull the string and close the purse.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Oh, right, that's how it works, is it? You feel the fish coming in.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35You feel the fish hitting the first mesh and then you close it then and it hits the back mesh.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Sometimes it gets enmeshed or sometimes it's just loose in the bag.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- So there's a potential for it to go in and back out again. - Salmon frequently do.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47So if you don't feel them quick enough, they're gone.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52And there would have been men coracling on this section of river, I'd have thought for hundreds...
0:07:52 > 0:07:54- Centuries. - ..if not thousands of years.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Oh, definitely, you know, into the sort of Middle Ages.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59And it's thankfully carrying on.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Tell you what, there's only us, and I can hear wood pigeons calling.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04It's usually woodpeckers.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07What a lovely way to spend a day.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The most colourful bird you'll see on the Teifi and, indeed, on the banks of most Welsh rivers
0:08:14 > 0:08:16is the kingfisher.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19The first hint that one's about is this high-pitched call.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23BIRDSONG
0:08:25 > 0:08:30It's a stunning bird, and its dagger-like beak is perfect for catching small fish in the river.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46The Wye is the great river that divides England from Wales in South Wales.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50This section is further inland, in Mid-Wales near Builth Wells.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55All along its course, it's a special site of scientific interest.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02It's been given that status because it is an important wildlife habitat.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08One of its specialities is the sea lamprey.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12During June, they spawn on the riverbed under Boughrood Bridge, near Brecon.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15It's one of the best locations in Britain to see them.
0:09:20 > 0:09:27Lampreys are jawless fish and have suckers around the mouth to attach themselves onto bigger fish,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29to feed on their flesh.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31During spawning, they use their suckers
0:09:31 > 0:09:33to attach to stones.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39The male shifts big stones on the river, to form a deep depression,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41in which the female lays her eggs.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44It's fascinating behaviour, and can last for hours.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55By the time the Wye has reached Tintern, some 50 miles south,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57it's become a tidal river.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03It lies in a deep gorge and flows beneath high limestone cliffs.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The river has carved out a beautiful landscape.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12I'm told the best way to experience the Wye Gorge is by kayak.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I'm undertaking the pursuit on a particularly wet day,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19with instructor Graham Symonds and Kate Biggs,
0:10:19 > 0:10:24who is one of the team that overlooks this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Whenever I come down the Wye, Kate, what amazes me is the sheer number
0:10:29 > 0:10:32of yew trees in here. They're everywhere, aren't they?
0:10:32 > 0:10:38Yeah. It's because they're sort of an indicator species for limestone.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43This is fantastic, really, because you've got high limestone cliffs,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45a sort of ravine woodland,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48which you don't get anywhere else in Wales,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51probably not in Britain, either. That's why it's also protected.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57But it gives it a particular bio-diversity that you don't really get elsewhere.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Amazing place, it really is. And Graham, the best way to see it is like this - from the water.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04The best way is from the water,
0:11:04 > 0:11:09- but you need to be very careful. The tide today will be 14 metre.- 14?!
0:11:09 > 0:11:1313.7 to 14, so that's a 40-44 foot tide,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16so if we get it wrong, time and tide waits for no man.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19And if we weren't kayaking down, we wouldn't see any of this?
0:11:19 > 0:11:23That's right, the perspective off the river is totally different.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- Today, we haven't seen anybody here at all.- No.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31If you go back 200 years, this river would have been a hive of activity,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35you would have had barges and troughs coming up from Bristol.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39This would've been the kind of M4 of its day, because it would have
0:11:39 > 0:11:42been the easiest access and you would've carried the biggest loads.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Back there now, Kate, we went past an ancient old church or a chapel? What was that?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51That's Lancaut Church. That's a deserted medieval village,
0:11:51 > 0:11:57but it was, we know, a leper colony, but the church dates from about the 12th century.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02The churchyard in the summer, there's all sorts of herbs and things
0:12:02 > 0:12:06in and around the churchyard and, you know, people say
0:12:06 > 0:12:09that's because, you know, they were there for the monks to use.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Yeah, I bet they were, too, were they?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Yeah, as part of their sort of medicinal storehouse.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20What a fabulous location to build a medieval village.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23At the bottom of the gorge, the villagers would have
0:12:23 > 0:12:27had easy access to the main trade route of the period.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Here, not only does the tidal water dictate transport up and down the river,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36it also shapes the landscape itself, forming huge sand banks.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Come on, Iolo. What are you doing? You'd think it was small, this bit!
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Soon, I'll be going underground to discover one of Wales' hidden treasure.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00This makes it all worthwhile.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Later, I'll be exploring an old goldmine.
0:13:02 > 0:13:09The million-pound question has to be, is there a lot more gold down there, do you think?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I'll also be taking you to Wales' best wildlife canal.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19And I'll be finding owls in the grounds of a castle.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Down the bottom there, about 60-odd metres away,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and in there is a tawny owl nest.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Now, if I was asked to choose the best natural lake in Wales,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Tal y Llyn, below the mountain of Cadair Idris in mid-Wales,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42would be top of the list. On a bright, still day, it's a fabulous location.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48Like most big lakes, you'll be hard pushed to see much wildlife.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51What little there is, is usually right in the middle.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55But occasionally, an interesting bird comes closer to shore.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57These are goosanders.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02They're quite a common bird in north and western Britain, and are usually seen on rivers.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07This one here is a male. The female looks quite different.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09They're diving ducks.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14They have sawbills that enable them to grasp and catch small fish.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19The presence of fish-eating birds always triggers heated debate with anglers,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22especially in an important fishing location,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and Tal y Llyn is one of the best fishing lakes in Wales.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33Phil Wood is the chief ghillie - the fishing guide for the lake.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Today, I've a very different kind of fishing in mind.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I only want to see the fish, not catch them.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It helps that Phil likes to feed the fish daily, with bread, close to shore.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49- Now, it's not the best of day, visually, today, it's overcast. - It's perfect for fishing, though.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- It's good for the fish?- This are the best conditions you can get.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Oh, yeah, yeah, OK, I've got him. Oh, he's moved away again.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Might have spooked them a little bit. They were feeding earlier.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04But we have had a few problems with cormorants and poachers.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Do you know what, Phil? I don't know a single fisherman who likes cormorants.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13- Oh, we like them.- Just not too many. - Just not underwater.- Yeah!
0:15:13 > 0:15:16They're starting to come in. I had one go past the frame now.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Slow. Here we are, here we are, here we are.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- Whoa! Nice big fish? - I think about three pound, Iol.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Three pounds?
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- A small one, for Tal y Llyn. - Lovely-looking fish.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Oh, the markings on them, they're unique, you know.- Beautiful fish.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35But it's a very well-known lake, isn't it, for its excellent fishing?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It's a famous lake for the top of the water sport, you know.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44It's a shallow lake - six to eight feet average - and the fly life is fantastic here.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47And so that's what makes it such a good fishing place? So much food?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51So much food and top of the water sport, which a fisherman wants.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- You ask any fisherman, the take is paramount.- Right.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56It takes the fly off the top and you connect.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08When fresh water is trapped inland and left naturally without drainage, it forms wetland,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Typically, Welsh wetland looks like this one
0:16:12 > 0:16:14at Cors Caron near Tregaron.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's one of the biggest raised bogs in Britain.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Occasionally, near a wetland, you'll find a woodland,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and there's an exceptional wet woodland on the outskirts of Swansea.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32It's a habitat that's rare throughout the whole of Britain.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37And surprisingly, it lies in the middle of an industrial area and has somehow
0:16:37 > 0:16:40survived both drainage and land development.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46In the past, many parts of lowland Britain
0:16:46 > 0:16:50would have looked like this - impenetrable wet woodland.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'Jamie Bevan of the Countryside Council for Wales
0:16:55 > 0:16:57'looks after the site.'
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I tell you what, Jamie,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04it's a dangerous place to come by yourself, isn't it?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- It is. You don't want to come in here on your own.- No, I'm sure!
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- I think you're heavier than me. - A couple of stone heavier, I think,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13the way I'm going down here!
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Jamie, don't go too far, hold on!
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- It's getting worse.- It IS getting worse! That's got him!
0:17:26 > 0:17:29You'd swear you were in Louisiana or in the Everglades here,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32but it's amazing to think that you're not,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35you're actually just on the outskirts of Swansea
0:17:35 > 0:17:39and this wet woodland like this is really quite rare in Wales now.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Feels quite primeval, doesn't it?
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It does, yeah. What is this big, tall sedge here?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Greater tussock sedge. That's the sort of dominant sedge.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51And a couple of nice ferns, one of them I do recognise -
0:17:51 > 0:17:55that's royal fern. Not at its best yet, cos that's a great big massive one,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and some nice little delicate ones here and there as well. Which one's that?
0:17:58 > 0:18:02That's the marsh fern then, and that's the real rarity, actually.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Just a handful of sites in Wales, mainly an East Anglian species,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07so only two sites in South Wales for it, in fact.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09And that's the odd thing, isn't it,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14because this is a fen, and this is what you'd expect to see somewhere like East Anglia, not in Wales.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Right. Almost like a chunk of East Anglian fenland
0:18:17 > 0:18:19dropped on the South Wales coast.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22One of the wonderful things about this, too,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24is that, yes, it's important for its fen plants,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28but I can hear birds all around me. I can hear blackcap calling,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32I can hear chiffchaff calling, just back from Africa.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Blue tits, great tits in here
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and of course, there's a lot of dead and dying wood.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Look at this - this is completely rotten here
0:18:38 > 0:18:40and the birds love this,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43it's good for feeding, it's good for nesting as well.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45And some of the trees are just so full of holes.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50They're woodpecker holes, but they'll be taken over by blue tits, great tits, marsh tits.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51It is an important habitat,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53but in a month or two it'll look very different,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56that's when the ferns, sedges, will be at their best.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The royal fern will be huge then.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05By midsummer, the woodland is pretty much a no-go zone -
0:19:05 > 0:19:09you could be in a tropical jungle, not on the outskirts of Swansea.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12You'd need a machete to work your way through this.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17But that, of course, would be illegal - it's a protected area.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Water is not only responsible for the beauty of Wales above ground,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32it also shapes the Welsh landscape below the land surface.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34The Brecon Beacons
0:19:34 > 0:19:38and the Black Mountain immediately to the west of the Beacons
0:19:38 > 0:19:40have the biggest cave systems in Europe,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and that's because the rock is mostly made of limestone,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45which dissolves in water.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49One of the most impressive caves in Wales
0:19:49 > 0:19:51is Dan yr Ogof in the Upper Swansea Valley.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54It's a completely different landscape...
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'I'm joining a caving team led by John Osborne,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'who knows the caves well.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'The continuous flow of water has created huge caverns and tunnels,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'which extend ten miles beneath the Black Mountain.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:09'As water seeps through the limestone,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'it dissolves calcium salts in the rock,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'which then reform into calcite formations,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'and after thousands of years,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'they can develop into incredible structures.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:25'John is taking me to see
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'one of Wales' finest underground spectacles.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34'But we have some tough caving to do first,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36'and most of it in wet conditions.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41'It's an activity not to be taken lightly or, indeed, without expert advice.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45'A sudden downpour above ground can flood these tunnels very quickly.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53'You have to know when to retreat and leave.'
0:20:53 > 0:20:55'Thankfully, today, this won't happen.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59'We'll be able to continue and see an extraordinary underground formation
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'which has been sculpted by water.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- We're getting there.- It's a bigger passage, isn't it, this one?- It is.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10- All created by water. - Amazing, isn't it?- It is incredible.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12THEY BREATHE HEAVILY
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Here we go.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Come on, Iolo, what are you doing? You'd think it was small, this bit!
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- IOLO LAUGHS - Eugh!
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It's physically and mentally demanding, coming through here.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36It's because you're in a confined space
0:21:36 > 0:21:39and I'm 15 and a half stone
0:21:39 > 0:21:43and this, in bits, is like going down a badger set.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Now, can you imagine the first person to come down here?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It was a woman and she didn't know what she was going to get -
0:21:49 > 0:21:52whether she was going to be able to get through,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54whether she'd have to reverse all the way back,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56whether it would become waterlogged or not.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59And that starts playing tricks with your mind.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02But I am told what's at the far end
0:22:02 > 0:22:05really is worth all this effort.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18'The first person to squeeze through this long crawl
0:22:18 > 0:22:22'was Eileen Davies from Swansea, and she did it 50 years ago.'
0:22:23 > 0:22:27'She had no way of knowing what was at the end of the tunnel.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'Like any other caver,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32'she simply needed to know where it led to.'
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Argh! Oh, come on!
0:22:34 > 0:22:36'All I'm thinking about
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'is that I'll have to come back exactly the same way.'
0:22:45 > 0:22:48'But the effort is worthwhile.'
0:22:49 > 0:22:53'This has been named the greatest natural wonder in Britain,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'and it's been formed by the action of water on limestone.'
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Wow!- Oh, wow! look at that. It's another one of those examples
0:23:02 > 0:23:05where you see something created by nature
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and it outdoes anything man can do.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09- Totally.- How old are these?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12They're not as old as you think they might be.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Some of the larger formations we've seen
0:23:14 > 0:23:16take up to 100,000 years to form.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19These - between, sort of, 100 and thousands of years.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21They're actually completely hollow.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25There's a drip of water you can see at the bottom, if you can look up inside,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27you can get a real sense of it being a straw.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Hence the name "straw stalactites."
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- Yeah, cavers love their literal names for things.- Yeah!
0:23:31 > 0:23:34But this is just beautiful,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37it's one of the most beautiful things I think I've ever seen,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40not just anywhere in Wales, but anywhere in the world.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42It's absolutely beautiful.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So was it worth the grovelling and the squeezing and the...?
0:23:45 > 0:23:46It was... It was, now!
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I must admit, at the time I thought, "This had better be worth it."
0:23:49 > 0:23:54But the grunting, the groaning, the whining, the getting cold,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57the getting wet, all my muscles aching -
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- this makes it all worthwhile. - It really is beautiful.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12While water plays a huge part in defining the Welsh landscape,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15it's also an important resource to be exploited.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20High rainfall and large upland lakes
0:24:20 > 0:24:24makes Wales a perfect location to site a hydro-electric power station.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31The oldest in Britain lies below the summit of Snowdon in Cwm Dyli.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35It was built in 1905.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38It still produces electricity and supplies the National Grid,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and is remotely switched on and off when power is needed.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46'Jack Reilly is one of the staff who looks after the power station.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It reminds me of a Welsh chapel, you know, this does.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53I suppose when it was built, it would've been full of machinery?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Yeah, it would've been four units, same as the one that's there.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59And now all of that is compacted into this unit here.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Yeah, this is just as efficient and produces the same power
0:25:03 > 0:25:05as those four units once did years ago.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And the water that drives this comes from where, from which lake?
0:25:08 > 0:25:12It's coming up from Llyn Llydaw up at the top, just up Snowdon.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15So these pipes that come down the mountain, they're feeding this,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- and that comes in where? - It comes right down the hill, enters the building,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- gets into the machine though a valve.- The electricity goes straight to the National Grid?
0:25:23 > 0:25:28- Yeah, it's sold to them. - I suppose, when it comes on, there's a fair bit of noise in here?
0:25:28 > 0:25:32- Yeah. Ear defenders, definitely! - Is it?- Yeah.- Is it that bad, is it?
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I always think we've got that much water in Wales,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37we really should be making a lot more of it,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40a lot more things like this.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44There are fewer than ten hydro-electric power stations in Wales.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Considering the amount of water we have,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48you might think there would be more.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Cwm Dyli has been generating electricity for over 100 years
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and will probably continue to do so for another 100.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58It's one of Wales' little power gems.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02But the real surprise for me
0:26:02 > 0:26:04is the land surrounding the power station.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13One of the things that I really love about Wales is that,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16completely unexpectedly,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I've come across an area of rough habitat.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23A very rocky area, agriculturally it's rubbish, absolute rubbish.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27But it's got these tuffs of gorse, it's got bracken, a few trees
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and it's actually got at least three pairs of yellowhammers here.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Now, if you go looking for yellowhammers,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36they're very difficult to find - it's quite a scarce bird now.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38But we've stumbled across a real little hot spot
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and it's lovely to hear a bird calling here,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44there's another one calling behind me, just over there.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And there's another one calling up above, over there.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48And these are stunning birds,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52they're beautiful, lovely canary-yellow face and chest.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55They're lovely, beautiful, beautiful birds.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00That's a really nice find, that's lifted my spirits, that has.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20There's no doubt that the biggest use of water as a resource in Wales
0:27:20 > 0:27:23is for the supply of drinking water.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Over the years,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32reservoir building has caused deep emotion and anger in Wales,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35especially those supplying cities across the border,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37which have involved the drowning of villages,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40and the relocation of local communities.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42But whatever your views are
0:27:42 > 0:27:45on the rights and wrongs of the sites chosen for them,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47these huge masses of water
0:27:47 > 0:27:50have had a big impact on the Welsh landscape,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52and indeed, some have added to its beauty.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Especially this one at Lake Vyrnwy in Mid Wales.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Built in 1880 to supply water to Merseyside,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09it's the largest reservoir in Wales.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And this is where I grew up.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19I left when I was 18 years old and by the time I'd gone,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I must have walked every square metre of the moorland,
0:28:22 > 0:28:27the woodland, the farmland, the edge of the reservoir
0:28:27 > 0:28:31in search of birds' nests and frogs and toads and newts and fish...
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Anything and everything, really.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35And although I appreciated it when I was here,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38do you know, it's only now that I come back,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42many years later on, that I realise how privileged I was
0:28:42 > 0:28:47to grow up in such a beautiful, such a stunning place.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Because the lake is so vast,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54it's difficult to spot anything on the water.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59But if you're lucky, you may see some one of these.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04It's a great crested grebe - a bird usually associated with shallower lakes.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06The majority of wildlife at Vyrnwy
0:29:06 > 0:29:10is in the surrounding woodland and uplands.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15These are goshawk chicks, waiting for their parents to return with food.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20They're about four weeks old, and visits from the parents are less frequent now.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Goshawks became extinct in Britain during the 19th century,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27but became re-established from the 1960s onwards.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32They're doing particularly well in Wales, with over 200 nesting pairs.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39One of the chicks is exercising its wings. It won't be long
0:29:39 > 0:29:42before they set off for their first flight.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Lake Vyrnwy was built during Victorian times
0:29:49 > 0:29:54and was constructed as a direct consequence of the Industrial Age.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59As cities grew, water was needed by an increasing population
0:29:59 > 0:30:01and to fuel industry,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05and industry itself has played a major part in shaping Wales.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10It's a process that's still continuing.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13The large-scale reshaping of the land has led
0:30:13 > 0:30:16to a change in wildlife and sometimes this change, surprisingly,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18has been a positive one.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22The fabulous canals and old railways that give such added beauty
0:30:22 > 0:30:25to the Welsh landscape exist because of our industrial past.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31And many of the great parks in Wales have been created by industrial wealth.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Later, I'll be exploring an old underground quarry.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37Oh, wow.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42I'll be watching lapwings nest near a coal mine
0:30:42 > 0:30:47and I'll be digging up Wales' gold rush past.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51But first, I'm heading for a slate quarry.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57The biggest industry in northwest Wales during the past 200 years
0:30:57 > 0:30:59was slate mining.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04The whole region is full of old slate quarries.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Most, like Dorothea Quarry in the Nantlle Valley,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11which is only a stone's throw from Snowdon, have closed.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Industrial work finished here nearly 40 years ago.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18It's now nature's turn to work the slate.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25I love coming to old slate quarries like this.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30Whenever I come, it makes me wonder what it was like 100 years before.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32All the men, probably hundreds of them,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35the noise, the shouting, the dust,
0:31:35 > 0:31:40the pollution here, and I bet they never thought the work would end.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44And they wouldn't have thought that less than 50 years after the quarry closed
0:31:44 > 0:31:47that nature would be taking over completely.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51You've got birch and you've got willow, and even ash and oak
0:31:51 > 0:31:55taking over everywhere and that's dragging in the birds as well.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Willow warblers and dunnocks singing away over here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02And give another 100 years and I bet that they'll be very few signs
0:32:02 > 0:32:07of the quarry left at all, it'll be completely taken over.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Dorothea slate quarry is a magnificent landscape,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16and probably one of the best examples in Britain
0:32:16 > 0:32:19of re-colonisation by nature.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23As the quarrymen left and the tipping of slate waste stopped,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26plants such as mosses and ferns began to colonise.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31As these plants died, they helped to form soil on the tips,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35and eventually there was enough root hold and nourishment for trees.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Once the trees were established, then birds returned.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51It's a heartening revelation that such a rich and stunning landscape
0:32:51 > 0:32:55can be reformed by nature after so much landscape trauma.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Some of the slate mining in northwest Wales was underground,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09particularly in the Blaenau Ffestiniog area.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14It's a big mining region and some quarries are still being worked.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16High up above Gloddfa Ganol quarry,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20which at one time was the biggest slate quarry in the world,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22is Cwmorthin.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25All right, lads.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28'And in the cwm is the entrance to a huge disused quarry.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32'I'm joining two cavers, John Osbourne and Roger Sexton,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36'who know the quarry well and have agreed to help me explore the hidden landscape.'
0:33:40 > 0:33:41'The entrance is usually locked.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45'You need special permission and expert help to enter the quarry.
0:33:45 > 0:33:51'And for good reason - underground mines are considerably more dangerous than caves.'
0:34:06 > 0:34:09'The mine has many miles of tunnels and hundreds of chambers.'
0:34:09 > 0:34:12These would be the trolleys to carry out the slate?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14They would have been to take out waste.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Mind the big drop on the right.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20'It's full of old tracks, tools and machinery.'
0:34:27 > 0:34:30'There are many treacherous dead ends.'
0:34:30 > 0:34:34Dangerous place again, isn't it? Long way down there.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38'The mine began its life during the first part of the 19th century,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42'with over 500 men employed at its peak.'
0:34:42 > 0:34:45All this machinery just lying around.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49'The work dwindled during the first half of the 20th century
0:34:49 > 0:34:51'due to the decline of the slate industry,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54'and finally ended around 30 years ago.'
0:34:54 > 0:34:58What I find incredible is they had to bring all this down here in the first place.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02We must be 100 feet down by now, and more,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05and this weighs tonnes and they put it all together
0:35:05 > 0:35:08and it looks as if they've just left it as if they were expecting to come back
0:35:08 > 0:35:12on the Monday morning again, but for some reason, that's it.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17'The mine has many levels,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20'and the deeper you descend the wetter it gets.'
0:35:22 > 0:35:24'With the water pumps switched off,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27'the quarry constantly fills with water.'
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Oh, wow!
0:35:43 > 0:35:47'Some of the chambers created by the quarrymen are enormous.'
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Oh, man, what a place! What a place to come and work.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54- Aye, it is impressive.- So would there be many workers on this face?
0:35:54 > 0:35:58As I understand it, no, it would have been one, possibly two,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01on the face at one time, with a couple of helpers down on the floor.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05That would have been generations of work just to dig this one chamber.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Yeah, each shot holder's hours of work, it was all done by hand.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13- It's an incredible achievement.- And deadly work sometimes, wasn't it?
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Very. This mine had an entertaining nickname of the Slaughterhouse.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18The Slaughterhouse?!
0:36:18 > 0:36:22I've walked the moors above here many a time and I just didn't
0:36:22 > 0:36:26realise that I was really walking over what is now a hollow mountain.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30Incredible, absolutely amazing place.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Tell you what, light the flares, let's see just how big it is.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52'There's very little nature here,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56'but it's a time capsule of Welsh industrial life,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58'an incredible hidden jewel
0:36:58 > 0:37:00'and a memorial to the quarrymen who worked here.'
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Wales has a great deal of valuable geology.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13And much of the landscape has been exploited for centuries.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17This old limestone quarry is at Llanymynech
0:37:17 > 0:37:20on the border with England, south of Oswestry.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22It has the distinction of being a nature reserve
0:37:22 > 0:37:24both in England and Wales.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33I'm on the Welsh part, owned by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39During spring, it's full of cowslips,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41forget-me-nots,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44and a whole range of insects and butterflies.
0:37:44 > 0:37:45This is a Meadow Brown butterfly.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50And this is a female common darter.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56But what I like most are the cliff faces formed by quarries -
0:37:56 > 0:37:59they're ideal nesting sites for many birds.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05And one bird that's exploited this new habitat
0:38:05 > 0:38:09probably more that any other one is the peregrine falcon.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13There's a male perched high up on one of the ledges here.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17He's got a fantastic vantage point - he can see probably a mile and more,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20so, any prey passing by, he's going to dash off.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24And this one's interesting as well because most peregrine males
0:38:24 > 0:38:27have got this slatey grey back,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30they've got the dark mask and they're very pale,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32almost white chest there,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34but this one is a dark individual.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38And peregrines have been able to move into new areas,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40thanks to these quarries.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So peregrines are actually commoner in Wales now
0:38:44 > 0:38:45probably than they've ever been.
0:39:00 > 0:39:06In addition to valuable stone, Wales has an astonishing range of mineral wealth,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08and there's no richer prize than gold,
0:39:08 > 0:39:13and gold has been mined here for thousands of years.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18This is the Mawddach River near Dolgellau in Mid Wales.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22As it courses through Coed y Brenin Forest,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25the river cuts into the rock to form a gorge.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28It's not only a stunning location,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33but the site of one of Wales' biggest old gold mines.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38The riverbanks are full of relics belonging to Wales' gold rush past.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Gold was mined here very recently, some 20 years ago,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and George Hall was the mine's last manager.
0:39:46 > 0:39:51George, what's the history of gold and gold mining in this area?
0:39:51 > 0:39:54I feel sure that somebody must have discovered gold around here
0:39:54 > 0:39:57maybe 3,000 years ago,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59and got some gold.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03But the knowledge of it seems to have been forgotten.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Then, of course, in 1849,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08gold was found in California.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11And then it was found in Australia and people thought,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15"Well, wait a minute, maybe there IS gold around Dolgellau."
0:40:15 > 0:40:17There were several different mines around here
0:40:17 > 0:40:20- all at the same time?- Oh, yes, there must have been a dozen mines
0:40:20 > 0:40:24- around here, working on a small scale.- Gwynfynydd would have been
0:40:24 > 0:40:26one of the biggest, when was it at its height?
0:40:26 > 0:40:30The big gold rush here was 1861.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33And in its heyday, how many men would have been working here?
0:40:33 > 0:40:37- Oh, at least 250.- That many? - Oh, yes. Goodness me, yes.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41And I suppose the million-pound question has to be,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43is there a lot more gold down there, do you think?
0:40:43 > 0:40:46In my opinion, yes. There's a lot of gold in this district.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50I reckon there's a lot of gold still in Gwynfynydd. The problem is,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53do you spend more money driving tunnels to find it
0:40:53 > 0:40:56than you actually get out when you come across the gold?
0:40:56 > 0:41:01That's the problem - you've got to really be very canny.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06In the meantime, the old mine buildings
0:41:06 > 0:41:08have been occupied by wildlife.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Redstarts and coal tits both nest here.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19It's an ideal location for pied wagtails.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21There's plenty of insects and water
0:41:21 > 0:41:24around the old ruins and spoil heaps.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28The gaps under the roof are ideal nesting sites.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34Like other birds, a pied wagtail looks its best during spring,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38when the black and white colours are particularly striking.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50The big industry in South Wales was, of course, coal mining.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Most of the mines are now closed,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58but this vast industrial operation at Ffos y Fran near Merthyr Tydfil
0:41:58 > 0:42:01is part of a long-term scheme, which is recovering coal
0:42:01 > 0:42:05from old mines and tips that used to exist on this site.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08The old mines and tips are being removed,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12and the huge industrial site will be re-landscaped back to moorland.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15What is surprising is that surrounding this enormous industry
0:42:15 > 0:42:18lives one of Wales' rarest breeding birds.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26The lapwing, and what's even more remarkable is that they nest here.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Although you'll see plenty of lapwings around Wales,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36especially during the winter near the coast,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39this sight is exceptional these days.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43There are very few breeding pairs of lapwing left in the whole country.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50'The ecologist that looks after the lapwings
0:42:50 > 0:42:53'and other wildlife on the site is Kylie Jones.'
0:42:53 > 0:42:56It's funny - you think of lapwing as being a farmland bird,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00but, in Wales, more and more now they're on these industrial sites.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04You know, the damp bare areas, which is really good for them.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07- Do they do all right here? - They do. They type of ground up here
0:43:07 > 0:43:09is perfect for them. They're not here in the winter,
0:43:09 > 0:43:14they come back to nest now at this time of year. They do pretty well,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17but unfortunately they are heavily predated by gulls and crows
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and that's the main thing that is affecting them.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24I tell you the other thing - lots of them behind us now singing - skylarks.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27- A lot of skylarks on site. - Yeah, it's good, isn't it?
0:43:27 > 0:43:33It's nice to hear, and it's amazing to think that we're here in the middle of all this machinery.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37What's going to happen in the end, cos you're going to have to fill all of this in?
0:43:37 > 0:43:40We're moving some of the rock to take some of the coal out,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44but we've already started back-filling there in the distance.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48The scheme's going to run for about 21 years in total,
0:43:48 > 0:43:50but that's with complete restoration aftercare.
0:43:50 > 0:43:56So the site will be grassed over and put back to habitat to attract back the wildlife we have around here.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00And the lapwings, of course, will arrive in very early spring up here?
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Yeah. Usually about actually December, January time
0:44:03 > 0:44:05are the first sightings we see.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- That early, are they? They're up here, then?- Yeah, they are.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11They come up, but they don't actually use this area to begin with.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14They tend to stick in a different area. We've got a couple of nice ponds -
0:44:14 > 0:44:18they use that to feed. You can see up to 15, 16 birds there
0:44:18 > 0:44:21early on in the season, then they tend to disperse
0:44:21 > 0:44:25to different areas on the site and around the site as well.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Oh, that's quite nifty. And I suppose they pair up
0:44:27 > 0:44:31and you see this fantastic display they do and everything else?
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Beautiful display. You can't really miss the lapwing.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59The other big industry in South Wales was iron production,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01and the Cyfarthfa Ironworks
0:45:01 > 0:45:04at Merthyr was one of the biggest in Britain.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Remnants of the old blast furnaces are still standing
0:45:08 > 0:45:12and have been left as a reminder of Wales' industrial heritage.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17It's only when you're standing right underneath these blast furnaces
0:45:17 > 0:45:21that you realise how impressive, how enormous they are.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25And can you imagine being here 150 years ago?
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Fires everywhere, noise, shouting.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32It would have been a vision of hell, really.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36And just look at it now at dawn.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38These holes dotted all along the walls are full of jackdaws.
0:45:38 > 0:45:4330 or 40 birds over there, a few more over this side as well.
0:45:43 > 0:45:48They've just moved into these holes, they're roosting there overnight.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Later on in the year, they'll be nesting in there, too.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53I find it incredible that...
0:45:53 > 0:45:57this massive building that man has built,
0:45:57 > 0:46:01abandoned, has now been taken over by jackdaws.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08The jackdaws have pretty much taken over every nook and cranny.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10And they give a great display at dawn,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14as they roll call before setting off for the day to feed.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19The old Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil
0:46:19 > 0:46:25is an important historical site, but for me, it's not just a monument to a past industry.
0:46:25 > 0:46:31It's again a great example of the adaptability and clever versatility of wildlife.
0:46:40 > 0:46:46The industrial age brought with it the need and the ability to build railways.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Like in the rest of Britain, there was large-scale railway construction
0:46:49 > 0:46:52in Wales during the 19th century.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54There was one big difference in Wales -
0:46:54 > 0:46:57the landscape was very difficult for track-laying.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00This resulted in the building of many impressive viaducts
0:47:00 > 0:47:02all over the country.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08This is one of those hidden little gems that I think
0:47:08 > 0:47:12makes Wales a very special place.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15Pontsarn viaduct, incredible place.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17We're right on the edge of the Brecon Beacons
0:47:17 > 0:47:21and yet, on the other side, right on the edge of Merthyr Tydfil.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24The railway line here would have linked the two,
0:47:24 > 0:47:29running from the South Wales Valleys and the towns there
0:47:29 > 0:47:31over the mountain to Brecon.
0:47:31 > 0:47:36And, in its heyday, Pontsarn Station on a Sunday in the summer,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40would have been full of hundreds of people all coming up here
0:47:40 > 0:47:44to picnic, to walk, to enjoy the view,
0:47:44 > 0:47:46just as I'm doing today.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50It must have cost a fortune to build the railways,
0:47:50 > 0:47:54especially this one that connected Bala with Ffestiniog in North Wales.
0:47:54 > 0:48:00This is Blaen y Cwm viaduct on a remote upland section near Trawfynydd.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03It's one of 70 viaducts and bridges
0:48:03 > 0:48:05built on 25 miles of railway line.
0:48:06 > 0:48:11It's one of the most expensive railways built in its time.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Many cuttings also had to be dug for the tracks,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18and in hard rock that must have been very labour intensive,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22'but it has produced a wonderful wildlife habitat.'
0:48:22 > 0:48:24I like these disused railway lines -
0:48:24 > 0:48:28there must be thousands of miles of them all over Britain -
0:48:28 > 0:48:32but this is my favourite. It's become a real haven for wildlife.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35It's a linear nature reserve, really,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38and you see some of the upland plants have moved in.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42There's a small woodland here mainly of birch and mountain ash
0:48:42 > 0:48:43and a lot of heather as well.
0:48:43 > 0:48:48And those will attract in birds like willow warblers and redstarts.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52But what the engineers have done on this particular section,
0:48:52 > 0:48:56completely by accident, is they've created an artificial gorge.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00And it's got all the properties of a natural gorge in that
0:49:00 > 0:49:05it doesn't receive much sunlight, it's also incredibly wet.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09And because of that, you've got a whole host of plants
0:49:09 > 0:49:11that flourish in there.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14There's fir club moss, but more than anything else,
0:49:14 > 0:49:19it's the mosses and the ferns and they carpet the whole wall
0:49:19 > 0:49:22for a long, long part of this section here.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26The ferns and mosses look stunning throughout the year,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28but during the spring and summer
0:49:28 > 0:49:32the old railway cutting fills with colour.
0:49:32 > 0:49:37In a way, the plants here represent at least three different habitats.
0:49:37 > 0:49:38The wet parts of the cutting
0:49:38 > 0:49:41are ideal for liverworts, mosses and ferns.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45The drier areas suit flowers like betony,
0:49:45 > 0:49:49a plant that you associate with drier grassland or woodland.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54There are also open moorland plants here.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57This is a butterwort, which has long, slippery leaves.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59When a small insect lands on them,
0:49:59 > 0:50:03it slides to the base of the stem and becomes trapped.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05The plant then slowly digests the insects.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12The other insect-eating plant found here is sundew.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15It has a similar way of trapping insects.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18When an insect is trapped in the hairy gluey tentacles
0:50:18 > 0:50:23of the leaves, they'll close and the insect will be digested.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Even before railways, canals had been built
0:50:33 > 0:50:36to provide transport for industry.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Probably the best-known aqueduct is Pontcysyllte in North Wales.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42It was built during the early 1800s
0:50:42 > 0:50:45to carry the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49It's the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain
0:50:49 > 0:50:51and a World Heritage Site.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Canals are used for leisure these days,
0:50:56 > 0:51:00but, of course, they're great wildlife habitats.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08And I reckon the best in Wales for wildlife
0:51:08 > 0:51:11is the Montgomery Canal near Welshpool.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Not far from the village of Llanymynech, the canal has to cross
0:51:16 > 0:51:18the River Vyrnwy.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20The aqueduct may not be on the scale of Pontcysyllte,
0:51:20 > 0:51:26but it's nonetheless quite stunning, and certainly full of wildlife.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32I'm going to have a closer look underwater.
0:51:44 > 0:51:49This is the Montgomery Canal, which goes from the English border
0:51:49 > 0:51:51right across into the heart of Wales.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53It's one of my favourite canals.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57It's been closed for about 60-odd years now, and in that time
0:51:57 > 0:52:00it's become a great place for wildlife.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04I'm trying to film some fish here. There were lots earlier
0:52:04 > 0:52:07and once I put the camera in, they've all disappeared
0:52:07 > 0:52:11into the vegetation. But I'm hoping I can get something now in a minute.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16And the canal has acted as a kind of compensatory area for Mid Wales
0:52:16 > 0:52:18because a lot of the ponds and lakes have been drained,
0:52:18 > 0:52:22so you find the wildlife that would have been there in this canal.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25It's packed full of frogs and toads and newts,
0:52:25 > 0:52:29and quite a few fish - if only I could find them.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33And most of the canals were built because of industry,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35because of heavy industry - steel and coal -
0:52:35 > 0:52:40but this one's a little bit different, as it was built in an agricultural area,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43so it was built to carry limestone into the heart of Wales
0:52:43 > 0:52:49to improve the land, and then to carry meat and wool the other way
0:52:49 > 0:52:52to the heart of the English Midlands.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57The canal is full of tadpoles,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00which shows just how important it is for frogs and toads.
0:53:01 > 0:53:06Eventually, the fish reappear, and there are shoals of them.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10These are rudd, a fish that's present in big numbers in the canal.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16The rich plant growth is ideal for freshwater snails.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19They really do well here.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29And the wildlife above the water is equally as rich.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36It's an exceptional site for a whole range of damselflies.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38These are beautiful demoiselles.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43The male has very bright blue-green metallic colours.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47The females are less colourful.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49The demoiselles are pairing up
0:53:49 > 0:53:51above the rich pools created in the old locks.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55It's a perfect site for egg laying and for their larvae to live.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08The big industries in Wales brought wealth, but wealth for the few.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11In North Wales, they were the owners of slate quarries,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and this wealth enabled the owners to build huge mansions
0:54:14 > 0:54:17and design magnificent parks on their land.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24This is Penrhyn Castle on the outskirts of Bangor,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28and it's not one of those castles that was built centuries ago
0:54:28 > 0:54:32to repel invading armies. It's only 200 years old.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36It was built by Lord Penrhyn, a man who, in his day,
0:54:36 > 0:54:42would have been a multi-millionaire - money made from slavery,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46made from the sugar cane plantations further west
0:54:46 > 0:54:49and also from local industry.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52And, at that time, the biggest industry in North Wales
0:54:52 > 0:54:54was the slate industry.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58He would have built the castle in a nice quiet area.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02He wanted tranquillity, and because of that,
0:55:02 > 0:55:06surrounding the castle, you've got these wonderful grounds.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10They're not gardens - they're bigger than that. It's more like a parkland
0:55:10 > 0:55:15and they are packed to the rafters full of all kinds of wildlife.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18The castle is set in a superb location
0:55:18 > 0:55:22and is overlooked by the Carneddau Range of Snowdonia.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24It's probably the best example
0:55:24 > 0:55:27of industrial wealth and power in Wales.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32Today it's owned by the National Trust and open to the public.
0:55:32 > 0:55:37It means that the parkland which surrounds the castle can be enjoyed by everyone.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41And it does have some great wild areas.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Spring is a particularly good time to visit.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48But what's really good about public parks like this
0:55:48 > 0:55:51is that the birds here are used to people.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04This is a particularly nice part of the garden here.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08It's woodland. Let me show you around some of it.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11It's a mix of native and exotic trees.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13We've got oak and we've got beech here,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16but we've also got monkey puzzle tree over there,
0:56:16 > 0:56:18some exotic pines as well.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22And the birdsong, there's a blackbird singing here, blue tits,
0:56:22 > 0:56:24robins, chaffinch calling.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28And what I really want to show you is down the bottom there,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32about 60-odd metres away, is a big old beech tree.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Now, some of these trees - the oaks, the beech -
0:56:35 > 0:56:37would have been here when the castle was built
0:56:37 > 0:56:41because some of them must be 300 years old, and even more than that.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45And a branch has fallen off years ago and a hole has formed.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49In there is tawny owl nest. And, at the moment, as I speak,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52one of the adults is perched at the entrance to the hole,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56looking up, just making sure that I don't go any nearer than this.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59The owl is guarding her chicks,
0:56:59 > 0:57:03which you can just about see in the background.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08Here's the shot again with the chicks highlighted.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15If there's a better view of a tawny owl with chicks in broad daylight,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I've yet to find it.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23In the next programme, I'll be taking you
0:57:23 > 0:57:26to a wonderful woodland and wetland.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30I'll be exploring Wales' biggest estuary,
0:57:30 > 0:57:34and I'll be walking along a fantastic stretch of coast.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37I'll even be venturing underwater.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41You might think this is a big one, but they will grow to be
0:57:41 > 0:57:43the best part of a metre across.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46I'll also be heading to the uplands,
0:57:46 > 0:57:49where I'll be discovering history.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53It looks like a crown of thorns.
0:57:53 > 0:57:54I'll be joining the army.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58I'll be felling a forest.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01It's like we're working a T-Rex down here.
0:58:01 > 0:58:07I'll be exploring how upland and lowland Wales has been shaped by nature and man.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11And there's enough cockles on here for the birds, the people and for next year.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd