0:00:04 > 0:00:06The beauty of the Brecon Beacons
0:00:06 > 0:00:09rivals any other landscape in the whole of Britain.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14While much of it may look like upland wilderness,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16it's in fact land that's been tamed,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20lived on and worked for thousands of years.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26And the Beacons are not just mountains and open moorland.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34There are spectacular waterfalls,
0:00:34 > 0:00:35ancient woodlands,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38reservoirs and forest,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41farmland and lakes.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'm Iolo Williams, and I've been working with wildlife,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47particularly birds, all my life.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I was an RSPB warden in Wales for 15 years,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and the Beacons was on my patch.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58It's an extraordinary national park,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01as it's a cultural landscape shaped and influenced by people
0:01:01 > 0:01:05who live, work and come here for leisure,
0:01:05 > 0:01:06while at the same time,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10wild areas still exist and have incredible wildlife.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I'm following the Beacons over 12 months to see
0:01:13 > 0:01:18how both wildlife and human life change and adapt to the seasons,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22from mountaintop to deep underground,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25to every landscape in the Brecon Beacons.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37The Brecon Beacons National Park is located north of Swansea
0:01:37 > 0:01:42and Cardiff in South Wales. It has four distinct areas.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46The Black Mountain in the west,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51in the centre, Fforest Fawr and the Central Beacons,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and the Black Mountains in the east near the English border.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57And that's where I'm heading first.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19The Brecon Beacons is rightly famous for its mountains
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and its harsh upland environment
0:02:22 > 0:02:27and it doesn't get much worse than a day like this in deep midwinter.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Now, I'm on the eastern edge of the park in the Black Mountains,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34heading up towards one of the peaks, Twmpa, up there
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and this weather wasn't forecast,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but that's mountain weather for you - constantly changing.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I know from bitter experience
0:02:44 > 0:02:46that conditions on the Brecon Beacons uplands
0:02:46 > 0:02:48can be very different to the lowlands.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54While the weather on Twmpa's summit is extreme,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57it's a sunny day on the lowlands near Hay-on-Wye.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Most of the hills in the Black Mountains
0:03:04 > 0:03:08are 600 metres or 2,000 feet above sea level.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12It's a wild landscape, especially during winter.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15It's this challenging upland landscape
0:03:15 > 0:03:18that many of us are attracted to.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23But I also like walking on the lower slopes,
0:03:23 > 0:03:24in less obvious places,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27where even when conditions are at their harshest,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30you'll find wildlife trying to survive.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Here on this stubble field, many species of small birds,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38including brambling and reed buntings,
0:03:38 > 0:03:39are feeding on seeds
0:03:39 > 0:03:43that have fallen from the previous year's crop.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I can spend hours watching scenes like this,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47knowing full well that at some point,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50a sparrowhawk will turn up to survey his prey
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and pick the right time to attack.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Scenes like this are just as special to me as the high peaks.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17The Beacons has so much natural beauty,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21it's very easy to assume that it's always looked like this.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25This wonderful woodland is on the slopes of Sugar Loaf Mountain,
0:04:25 > 0:04:26near Abergavenny.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's called St Mary's Vale,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and it's one of the oldest woods in the Brecon Beacons.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37But it's not a natural wild wood.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42The fantastic shapes that you see on many of the trees
0:04:42 > 0:04:46are the result of people managing the woodland for timber and charcoal
0:04:46 > 0:04:50to be used in the coal and steel industries of South Wales.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Look at this. The weather has changed again.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58That's winter in the Brecon Beacons for you. Driving rain now.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00But I wanted to come and have a closer look at this tree.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Just look at the shape of that! And this, of course,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06is a tree that, over hundreds of years,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08has been coppiced several times
0:05:08 > 0:05:11and what that's done, it's left you with this unique shape.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16This base is going to be, what, 300 years old, maybe even more
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and relatively speaking, these shoots here are much younger,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21maybe 100 years old.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23If they were still working now,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25they would come back, they would coppice here again,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28it would grow again and it would be coppiced over and over.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36A lot of the landscape in the southern parts of the National Park
0:05:36 > 0:05:39has been shaped by old industries.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Spoil tips of old ironworks and coalmines
0:05:41 > 0:05:43are still visible in many areas,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and these are gradually being reclaimed by nature.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05One of the unexpected little gems in such a mountainous national park
0:06:05 > 0:06:09is this - it's the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11And it was built over 200 years ago now
0:06:11 > 0:06:15to service the heavy industries in South Wales,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and it's left us now, of course, with this fantastic wildlife habitat
0:06:18 > 0:06:21that runs all the way up the Usk Valley.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It's the only canal in the Brecon Beacons,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and a lovely place to walk.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33During its heyday in the early 1800s,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38150,000 tonnes of coal were transported on the canal each year
0:06:38 > 0:06:40on barges towed by horses.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Today it's much more peaceful,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47with only around 400 pleasure boats using the canal each year.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54In the winter, the canal's wildlife is quiet,
0:06:54 > 0:06:59but you'll often see passing flocks of birds looking for food.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02These are long-tailed tits feeding on insects.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07Other members of the tit family will form mixed flocks during the winter.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12You'll get blue tits, coal tits and great tits feeding together.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16But long-tailed tits tend to stay in family groups.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20So these are brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25And if you think about it, you can look out for each other
0:07:25 > 0:07:28a lot more if you're related.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Together, they'll find food and keep an eye out
0:07:30 > 0:07:32for predators like sparrowhawks,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34which will help them survive the winter.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47There are hundreds of streams and rivers
0:07:47 > 0:07:50coming down off the high tops of the Brecon Beacons,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but the biggest and the most famous is this one, the River Usk.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55This is the middle section here,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58it's not as narrow and not as wild as it is higher up,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03and it's not as deep and not as meandering as it is further east.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06And this lovely old bridge here, this is Llangynidr Bridge,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08a very narrow old bridge
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and this is a great spot for looking out for birds
0:08:11 > 0:08:13like dippers and grey wagtails.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15They love these rocks here.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22'January is far too early for grey wagtails and dippers to nest.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26'Goosanders, however, are already displaying and mating.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'The male will soon be leaving Wales
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'to spend the spring and summer in Scandinavia,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'leaving the female to build a nest and raise her chicks on her own.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'Much of the lowland in the Usk Valley is farmland,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50'and they say that there are
0:08:50 > 0:08:53'3,500 miles of hedgerows in the Brecon Beacons.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'This one is being laid in a traditional way by Trefor Prothero
0:09:00 > 0:09:02'and his son Gwilym at a farm near Brecon.'
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- Trefor?- Ah, hello.- How are you?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- Nice to meet you. - Good to see you, boy.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- What a nice job!- Thank you. - Cracking!
0:09:09 > 0:09:13I tell you what, I've always wanted to hedge lay.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Go on, you keep going
0:09:14 > 0:09:18because I know it's going to get dark before long, so you keep going.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Now, I was always told that Breconshire people
0:09:20 > 0:09:23have got their own particular style of hedge laying.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Yeah, well, every county has their own style
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and this is the traditional Breconshire style.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So, Montgomeryshire would have a different style,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Radnorshire would have a different style?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Yeah, Radnorshires don't use these stakes
0:09:36 > 0:09:37or don't use these hetherings.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- And that's what you call what you put on top, the hazel?- Mostly hazel.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- And that is just to hold the hedge down?- Yes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46We put one of these through every stake.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Right, so that gets shoved in.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- Push them in behind the stake a bit. - Oh, I see,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54then you just bend it in and out the stakes, then?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- Yeah, and weave them in. - Oh, that's nice.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- It's almost like basket weaving, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- And this is a job that you just do in the winter?- Yes.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06From sort of November until...
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- Well, the end of March is the cut-off date by law now.- Why?
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Is that cos of all the birds nesting and everything else, is it?
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Yes, yes, the birds nesting.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16If I lived here, I'd ask you to teach me how it's done,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18but I don't - I live in Montgomeryshire
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and I don't want to take Breconshire style back to Montgomeryshire.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22You'll have to come down!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26It would confuse the locals, I think, that would, Trefor.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30'Although much of the wood that Trefor puts into the hedge is dead,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'at the base he has split and bent the original hedge bushes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38'During the spring and summer, these will grow through the weave
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'and create a fantastic thick hedge
0:10:40 > 0:10:43'which will be a terrific place for wildlife,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47'and it looks a lot better than machine-cut hedge
0:10:47 > 0:10:48'or a barbed-wire fence.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55'Trefor's hedge at Llanfrynach
0:10:55 > 0:10:59'is on the edge of what some call the Brecon Beacons proper,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03'the Central Beacons, and the highest peak, Pen y Fan.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09'The north-facing slopes are steep,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13'having been carved out by glaciers during the Ice Age.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17'The lower slopes on the south side, however, are far gentler.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23'On a snowy winter's day, they are mostly hidden by low cloud.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31'Few venture up the peaks in this weather - not even a fox.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33'There is more to find lower down.'
0:11:51 > 0:11:55It's not every day you get into a staring match with a fox.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I've been watching a fox walking along the edge of the stream here.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I think it's a dog, it's quite a big fox in really good condition.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05It's got a winter coat and a big, big bushy tail.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Obviously looking for food.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And every now and again, it has stopped and it has looked at me,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10it has looked into my eyes.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13It obviously knows that I'm here and he is sat over there
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and then he has gone up a little bit now
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and this is actually a reservoir.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21You wouldn't believe it now, but it's the Upper Neuadd Reservoir
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and it has been drained for maintenance work along the dam here
0:12:25 > 0:12:27and usually the view from here -
0:12:27 > 0:12:30bear in mind we are 1,500 feet up - is quite spectacular,
0:12:30 > 0:12:36looking up towards Pen y Fan and the high tops, but the cloud is down.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38It's not the best of days for the view,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41but it's a brilliant day for watching a fox walking in the snow.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47'I've noticed that snowy, wintry weather often draws out
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'usually secretive animals into the open.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54'The fact is, he's hungry and has to find food
0:12:54 > 0:12:57'and he knows there's a lot of worms and grubs
0:12:57 > 0:13:00'in the soft mud of the old reservoir bottom.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The Brecon Beacons National Park has 18 reservoirs.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17They were built around 100 years ago to supply drinking water
0:13:17 > 0:13:20for the growing towns and cities of industrial South Wales.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24And they are still a vital water supply
0:13:24 > 0:13:26for hundreds of thousands of people.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I've come over to the Taf Valley now,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34or the Taff as it's often called,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and here you've got a succession of three reservoirs,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41all of them providing water to Cardiff.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44This is Llwyn Onn Reservoir, and on the far side over there,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48you've got the main north-south route, the A470,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52that really bisects the park itself.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58'When it's full, Llwyn Onn holds 650 million gallons of water
0:13:58 > 0:14:00'and with the rain that falls in the Beacons,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03'I'd imagine it's full pretty much most of the time.'
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Winter's a good time to see water birds on reservoirs,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10as it's one of the few places during this time of year
0:14:10 > 0:14:12where there's plenty of food for them.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16You can tell there's plenty of fish in this reservoir
0:14:16 > 0:14:19because there's lots of fish-eating birds here.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Way out on the water over there is a male goosander,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but far more interesting is this tree, this old larch here,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29right by the water's edge, because it is full of cormorants.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I think there are seven or eight in there at the moment
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and it's the ideal spot for them
0:14:34 > 0:14:37because you've got three reservoirs here in all,
0:14:37 > 0:14:38all of them full of fish,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41so the cormorants can plop into the water,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43catch a fish and then they can perch
0:14:43 > 0:14:46up on this tree here, dry their feathers.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47Once they get hungry again,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50all they've got to do is pop back down into the water.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59'Many think of cormorants as sea birds,
0:14:59 > 0:15:00'but while you do see them along the coast,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04'they are just as happy inland, on lakes, reservoirs and rivers.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08'I guess anywhere where there is plenty of fish.'
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Above the cormorants and the reservoir,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22there's a conifer plantation,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and a part of it has been cut during the past few years.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32There are lots of conifer plantations within the park
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and a lot of it, actually, is planted
0:15:35 > 0:15:37in association with these reservoirs.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41And this was a mature plantation here, too.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43What they do is, they'll plant them
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and then they will cut them down after about 40 years
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and that wood will be taken off to be used
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and then you are left with fairly bare, open areas
0:15:51 > 0:15:54with a few old trees standing
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and this is the perfect location then
0:15:56 > 0:15:59for a really, really rare bird -
0:15:59 > 0:16:02only maybe eight or ten birds come to Wales every year
0:16:02 > 0:16:03and they come in the winter.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The bird likes these open places because it's a predator,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12and it needs good views of potential prey.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17And here it is. It's a great grey shrike.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Now, it may look like a small, timid bird,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22but don't be fooled by its appearance.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25This is a ruthless hunter.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30This is the tree that the bird was on earlier,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34and what it's doing is, it's using that as kind of a lookout post.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36It's got several of them here,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38but this one appears to be its favoured one.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41And it's looking down for prey, and at this time of year,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45prey for it would be probably mice and voles
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and a time when there's plenty of food, what it'll do is,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51it'll find a hawthorn bush or a barbed-wire fence,
0:16:51 > 0:16:56and it'll put mice and voles and large insects on the spines
0:16:56 > 0:17:00and keep them there for when he's hungry and he can't find food.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01And that's the reason why
0:17:01 > 0:17:04another name for this is the butcher bird.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08This one has caught a bird.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12It may well be a robin. It's the commonest bird here.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16After storing its catch in its secret larder,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18it returns to clean itself.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22You can just about see its hooked beak,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24which it uses to tear up its prey.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And he's not the only bird that's using tree stumps.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32A great spotted woodpecker
0:17:32 > 0:17:35is looking for insects in the dead wood.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45As you head west from the Central Beacons,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47you enter the Fforest Fawr area.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Fforest Fawr is Welsh for "great forest"
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and it was once a royal hunting ground.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02In the Middle Ages, a forest was a place set aside for hunting -
0:18:02 > 0:18:05it didn't necessarily describe a large woodland.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Although the original deer stock died out
0:18:10 > 0:18:12more than two centuries ago,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15deer have returned to the park during the past 30 years.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25(I'm watching a group of red deer just up on the bank,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27(under the trees over there.)
0:18:27 > 0:18:31And these come from a local farmer
0:18:31 > 0:18:33who was keeping deer and they escaped -
0:18:33 > 0:18:35a handful of deer escaped in the 1980s,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and some people say that other deer, including a stag,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41escaped from Margam Park near Port Talbot,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45worked their way up the Neath Valley, which is all the way...
0:18:45 > 0:18:49would be maybe the best part of 15-odd miles, 20 miles maybe,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and joined this herd here.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55'No-one is quite sure of the number of red deer
0:18:55 > 0:18:58'in the Brecon Beacons National Park,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01'but experts reckon this is the only wild red-deer herd
0:19:01 > 0:19:03'in the whole of mainland Wales.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06The hinds usually live separate from the males
0:19:06 > 0:19:08outside the autumn rut season.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10It's now the middle of January,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and a stag has joined the herd.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Maybe because of the conditions,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20he's come to look for plants to eat in the same cover, nearer woodland,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22where the snow is likely to thaw first.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35'In the south part of Fforest Fawr,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39'the landscape changes from open moorland to deep gorges
0:19:39 > 0:19:42'cut by fast-flowing rivers and wonderful waterfalls.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I've been to all of them and they are all stunning in full flow.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'There is Sgwd Clun-Gwyn on the River Mellte.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'Its Welsh name is said to mean "fall of the white meadow"...
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'..but I have a feeling it may well be a case of lost in translation,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06'as I suspect the word "gwyn" - Welsh for "white" -
0:20:06 > 0:20:08'refers to the white water.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13'Like many of the falls in the area,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16it's surrounded by fabulous ancient woodland.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22'Sgwd yr Eira on the River Hepste, a tributary of the Mellte,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'also hints at white water.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28'The name "Eira" is the Welsh word for "snow",
0:20:28 > 0:20:30'so it's "the falls of snow".
0:20:36 > 0:20:40This area is aptly named Waterfall Country
0:20:40 > 0:20:42because, within an hour of me here,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45there are more than 20 individual waterfalls
0:20:45 > 0:20:50and this one, Henrhyd Falls, is certainly the most impressive
0:20:50 > 0:20:52and the tallest, too,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56and at 90 feet - that's 27 metres tall -
0:20:56 > 0:20:59it's the highest waterfall in southern Britain.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And on a day like this, following a night of heavy rain,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06it's at its most magnificent.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11At the top of the waterfall is a thin layer of very hard rock,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and that's called the farewell rock,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16a name given to it by the local coal miners
0:21:16 > 0:21:20because when they were digging deep underground,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23if they hit this layer of sandstone rock,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27they knew that they could wave farewell to finding any coal.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37The rivers in waterfall country cut through deep gorges
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and form wonderful wet landscapes.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44They're the Beacons' equivalent of a rainforest.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Oh, wow. Come and have a look at this tree. Look at this.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00It's absolutely festooned in mosses
0:22:00 > 0:22:02and there are lichens and ferns,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04probably liverworts here as well,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and that's one of the wonders of these gorges,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10is that they are so wet. It's incredibly humid here,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12because of the waterfalls,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15because of the cascading water as well.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18There's constantly so much water in the air,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22it's the ideal growing area for these mosses.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24On this tree in particular, it's everywhere -
0:22:24 > 0:22:27not just on the trunk, covering the branches as well,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and of course, added to that is the fact that
0:22:29 > 0:22:33the industries have all closed down. The coal mines have all gone now,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35so the air is very, very clean,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and that provides the perfect habitat
0:22:38 > 0:22:40for all of these lower plants.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Many of the high peaks of the Brecon Beacons
0:22:53 > 0:22:56have an iconic flat-top appearance.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59It gives the Beacons their unique identity.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05They look like this because they're made of very hard sandstone,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07which is resistant to weathering
0:23:07 > 0:23:10compared to the softer stones on the surrounding slopes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13In the southern part of the Beacons,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16the prevalent rock changes to limestone,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and because of the stone's solubility in water,
0:23:19 > 0:23:20it forms caves underground.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34These are some of the most impressive caves in Europe.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39I've descended into this one with cave guide Anna Stickland.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It's below the uplands of the Upper Swansea Valley
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and has around 50 miles of passages,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48rising and falling to depths of 300 metres.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's called Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Anna, what an amazing place underground!- It is,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58it's really beautiful and so varied, as well,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00and often I'll take little kids caving
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and they'll be quite nervous about being underground,
0:24:03 > 0:24:04think it's going to be tight
0:24:04 > 0:24:07or just kind of a muddy hole is often the impression people have
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and they don't realise how varied it is and how beautiful it is.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And Ogof Ffynnon Ddu here, this is a huge cave system.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It is, yeah, we've only seen a tiny, tiny part of it,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18but, yeah, it's a big system. It's also a very deep system
0:24:18 > 0:24:20because at the moment we are quite low down,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22near where the water comes out into the river,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24but you can follow it all the way through
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and you can come out on top of the mountains,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29so as well as being lots of passage, it's also quite a height change.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31And I always think of caves as something...
0:24:31 > 0:24:34things that were formed millions of years ago,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37because it is still going on all the time now.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Yeah, it is, it's a continual process and so, yeah,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41originally it was formed millions of years ago
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and just through tiny gaps and cracks in the rock,
0:24:44 > 0:24:45so where you've got the bedding planes
0:24:45 > 0:24:47and you've got the fault lines.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49And so water can get into the tiny cracks
0:24:49 > 0:24:51and gradually it will get bigger and bigger,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53initially through a sort of corrosive action
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and then once the water can start to flow,
0:24:55 > 0:24:56you'll get erosion going on
0:24:56 > 0:24:58and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05There are literally hundreds of caves in the Beacons
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and while some of them are open to the public and easy to explore,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12most are only accessible to hardened cavers.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16And in these hidden chambers,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18there are stunning sights deep underground.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49West of Fforest Fawr, in the Black Mountain area,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51lie the Carmarthen Fans.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Many of the mountains in the Brecon Beacons are called fans.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57It's simply the Welsh word for a beacon
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and the name Beacons dates back
0:25:59 > 0:26:03to a time when people would light fires on visible peaks
0:26:03 > 0:26:05to warn of attacks from invaders.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'I'm with National Park warden Judith Harvey,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14'who lives just below these magnificent peaks.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18'She's taking me to one of the finest views in the Beacons.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Judith, what a place! What a place!
0:26:20 > 0:26:24And we've got Llyn y Fan Fach below us, and Fan Foel.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Now, that is the highest mountain in Carmarthenshire.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27That's right, yes.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Yes, because we've come over the border now, into Carmarthenshire.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Looking at it this way, as well, it is stunning.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I love these rolling hills here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Yes, and then down in the valley,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40all the patchwork of farmland and hedges and trees.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44And all these houses and smallholdings, you know,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- you can only see from up on high like this.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52We often think about national parks worldwide as places empty of people,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56you know, places there for the landscape, for the wildlife,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58but, of course, Brecon Beacons is very different, isn't it?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01It is very different in that the park authority
0:27:01 > 0:27:04owns a lot of the land, we own the land that we are standing on here,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07which is very unusual for a British National Park,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10but, obviously, people, farmers, have got interests up here.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14This is common land, so farmers have got the right to graze sheep
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and, in some cases, cattle and even geese up here,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20though we never see geese on the hill these days!
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And then there's the pressure from walkers and tourism.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26You know, we've walked a path that has been made by the National Park
0:27:26 > 0:27:31to try and limit the pressure of erosion, so it's a balancing act.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34We've got to try and accommodate all sorts of pressures
0:27:34 > 0:27:37within this very, very precious landscape.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- Somebody once told me that this is the roof of South Wales.- Yes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43And it is right because from here
0:27:43 > 0:27:46you can see virtually everywhere in South Wales.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'It's one of my favourite sights in the Beacons.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54'It's a place where you can be totally alone.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'As Judith said, the National Park's character
0:28:01 > 0:28:05'comes as much from the people who live and work in the Beacons
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'as the natural forces that shaped it,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'and on the slopes of Mynydd Myddfai near Llandovery,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13'Kate Mobbs-Morgan is one of the many people
0:28:13 > 0:28:16'who make it such a special place.'
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Walk on a little bit.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22And again.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Back, love.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Good boy.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Back, love.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- Kate? Hiya.- Hi.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39I've got to tell you, you've made an old man very happy.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Watching you at work here took me back to when I was a little lad,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45when they still used horses in woodlands in mid Wales,
0:28:45 > 0:28:50- but this must be unique in the park now, is it?- It is unusual.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55I would say maybe two people working horses in forestry
0:28:55 > 0:28:57- in this locality, yes. - But it's lovely to watch
0:28:57 > 0:28:59and I love the way that you work WITH the horse,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02talking all the time, the horse listening all the time, as well.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05He is listening. Sometimes he blurs out the white noise in between,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07but he is listening for his commands all the time.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11And it's the WAY that you talk, as well, it's as if it isn't a horse,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13it's a mate working with you in the woods.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15We work together all the time,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17so it is like having a friend working with me, so yeah.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19What is the horse? What breed is he?
0:29:19 > 0:29:21He's an Ardennes. They come from France and Belgium.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25He was homebred in the UK, but they are a French horse, really.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29- He's a lovely, lovely horse.- Thank you.- And incredibly strong.- Yes.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33What's the advantage, then? Why use a horse? Why not get tractors in?
0:29:33 > 0:29:36On sites like this, we can come into the steep sites,
0:29:36 > 0:29:38we don't need big tracks cut into the woodlands,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40we can just work between the trees.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43So something like this, where you are selective thinning,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45just taking out a few trees, we can just work
0:29:45 > 0:29:48within the environment without causing any damage.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50And again, working on the steep sites
0:29:50 > 0:29:53where it's difficult to get in with machinery,
0:29:53 > 0:29:54it is just as quick to use a horse.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11As winter draws to an end -
0:30:11 > 0:30:13and in the Beacons, that could be late April -
0:30:13 > 0:30:15much of the landscape work stops.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20It's a time when wildlife wakes up.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26A time when birds need to nest.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32And a time for plants to be left alone to grow.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37I'm in Pwll-y-Wrach wood.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39It's a wonderful ancient woodland in the eastern
0:30:39 > 0:30:42part of the Brecon Beacons not far from Hay-on-Wye.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46As the tree leaves haven't fully emerged yet,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49light can penetrate to the woodland floor
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and ground plants are at their best.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59Herb paris is a particular speciality of this kind of woodland.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02It was used in medieval times to guard against witches,
0:31:02 > 0:31:03which seems appropriate
0:31:03 > 0:31:06as Pwll-y-Wrach is Welsh for witches' pool.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10It's thought that the name Pwll-y-Wrach
0:31:10 > 0:31:13comes from the old practice of dunking witches in pools.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Its use today is far more benign.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21There's a pair of grey wagtails just underneath me here
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and they've both got a beak full of insects.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27And this is typical of grey-wagtail country.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29You've got the falls, Pwll-y-Wrach here.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Lots of water, high walls with lots of little holes where they can nest,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37and all this rushing water means lots of insects, which they feed on.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40They're quite comical, actually,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44because they're walking slowly across the stream here towards me
0:31:44 > 0:31:47and I'm pretty sure that the nest is
0:31:47 > 0:31:49tucked into the bank just below me here.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Pwll-y-Wrach is in the Black Mountains area of the Beacons.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08The mountains are a series of broad ridges
0:32:08 > 0:32:11running north-south in the eastern part of the National Park.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Between the summits, there are valleys which were gouged out
0:32:16 > 0:32:19by melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23resulting in very steep slopes and a precarious landscape.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30An odd looking church. It's St Martin's Church in Cwmyoy.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33And when I walked in, I couldn't quite make it all out,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35but if you look at it carefully,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37you see that the tower is leaning towards me.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40There's an arched back to the main roof,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43the walls are not quite square
0:32:43 > 0:32:45but there's a good reason for all of this
0:32:45 > 0:32:48cos it stands on a site that, over hundreds of years, has seen
0:32:48 > 0:32:53a succession of landslips and that includes one major incident
0:32:53 > 0:32:55that split the mountain behind us here.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59St Martin's Church at Cwmyoy
0:32:59 > 0:33:03has been called the most crooked church in Britain and it's
0:33:03 > 0:33:06one of many stunning historical sites in the Brecon Beacons.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11It ended up like this
0:33:11 > 0:33:15because it was built by medieval builders on an ancient landslip.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19A crack in the hill above the church is clear from above.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23The old red sandstone summit,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25a rock characteristic of the Beacons,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29fell apart thousands of years before the church was built
0:33:29 > 0:33:31but, unbeknown to the builders,
0:33:31 > 0:33:33the surrounding land was still unstable.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Like the rest of Britain, the ice age has left its mark
0:33:37 > 0:33:40on much of the landscape in the Beacons
0:33:40 > 0:33:43and helped to create some beautiful scenery.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Llangorse, the largest natural lake in South Wales,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53was also formed by a glacier.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Given the right conditions, a spring dawn is truly magical.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Birds come to feed and breed around the lake.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15At this time of year, they're in peak condition
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and in their finest feathers.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Llangorse also has more secretive wildlife,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37particularly in the ditches leading to the lake.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42This is one of the best places in the Beacons for water voles.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45They were reintroduced here during the past five years
0:34:45 > 0:34:48and Cardiff University student Sophie-lee Lane
0:34:48 > 0:34:52has been monitoring them to establish how well they're doing.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55But they're quite difficult to see.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58I'm going to use an old trick to try and lure one out.
0:34:58 > 0:35:04An apple. Few plant-eating animals can resist its sweet taste.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Something moving there.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11That might be just bubbles. They've got a hole up on the bank...
0:35:11 > 0:35:15and they've got a hole right down just down at water level.
0:35:15 > 0:35:16Those will be connected, will they?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Yeah, they should be connected.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22They'll have a number of holes connected into different
0:35:22 > 0:35:24escape routes.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27They're all connected into one colony.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31And what will they be eating? All the vegetation you see?
0:35:31 > 0:35:33They kind of are quite selective.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36They tend to eat sedge, erm, reeds,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40which then allows a lot more vegetation
0:35:40 > 0:35:45richness in the area, so they tend to be ecosystem engineers.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49So then they kind of modify their habitat, so they increase...
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- The variety.- ..the variety of the plants and wildlife.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55That's pretty good, that's excellent.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57You can hear, like, chomping.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00That's moving.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05- That's a water vole coming out, is it?- I don't know whether...
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I can see it, yeah. I can see it.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09- Where can you see it? - In the grass there.- Yeah.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22- These are proving pretty elusive - aren't they? - today.- Yes.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24I reckon I put the wrong apples out.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26The wrong brand of apple, I think.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Listen, we've been here long enough.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I reckon we leave the apples and just let the voles get on with it.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33- What do you think? - Yeah, sounds good.- Come on.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41You watch, once we've gone, they'll eat everything.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44We left the cameraman on his own.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49We were probably too noisy and, sure enough, after a while, one appeared.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52They just couldn't resist the smell of fruit.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Before reintroduction,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58water voles were believed to be extinct in the park and this
0:36:58 > 0:37:02is probably the only sustainable population in the Beacons.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Let's hope they recover and extend their range.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17I'm back on the Usk, the main river in the Brecon Beacons.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23This time, I'm on a section is near Crickhowell.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27The Usk is rated as one of the finest fly-fishing rivers
0:37:27 > 0:37:29in Britain for brown trout.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33It's mid-April, and early in the season.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37It's the best time to fish by day,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41as the water levels are high and flies are emerging.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Justin Connolly is a professional angling instructor
0:37:47 > 0:37:49who lives in the Beacons.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Hello there. Keep fishing, keep fishing.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56I'll just sit down here, if that's all right. You carry on.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00- Have you had any luck so far? - No, not yet. A few fish rising.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Fishing for what now? Trout?
0:38:02 > 0:38:05- Wild brown trout. - And what's the technique?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Do you try and drop the fly right on him or up above him?
0:38:08 > 0:38:10No, I want it slightly upstream just
0:38:10 > 0:38:16so it looks like a natural insect coming down in front of the fish.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20And if I cast right on top of him, it's going to spook him a bit.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And then if he takes a bite, do you then strike?
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Yeah, just lift into the fish.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Do you then take notice of what insects are around at particular
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- times of the year?- Absolutely.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Through the year you get different hatches of flies and insects
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and the trout will switch on to that particular hatch.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41So we need to try and imitate what's coming up through the water,
0:38:41 > 0:38:43which is the natural food for the fish.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47By a hatch, what you mean is a lot of insects will all hatch out,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49roughly at the same time, do they?
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Yeah, I mean, early morning, the hatches are going to be quite
0:38:53 > 0:38:56sporadic and ones and twos coming off.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59As the day goes on and the temperature rises,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01we get a larger hatch of insects and flies then.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Hopefully the fish will switch on but...
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And sometimes I have seen it where you get literally
0:39:07 > 0:39:10millions of, say, mayfly or whatever all hatching out at the same time.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14- Clouds and clouds of insects. - That's a lovely thing to see.- It is.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18On the Usk now, is fishing as good as it was 20, 30 years ago?
0:39:18 > 0:39:23A lot of the fish have been taken out in the last 20 years.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26It is very good fishing but I think we need to be realistic
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and sort of look after our fish stocks at the moment.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31If you look at some of the statistics,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33it gives you cause for concern, I think.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37So, for you, it's all about the sort of pitting your wits
0:39:37 > 0:39:40against the fish, catching it and then putting it back.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Exactly. If I want a fish for the table, I'll go fish a stock fishery.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I think the wild fish are too precious
0:39:46 > 0:39:50and important to be taken out of the river, to be honest.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06The best known parts of the Brecon Beacons National Park
0:40:06 > 0:40:09are incredibly busy and it doesn't matter what time you go there,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11there are always lots of people
0:40:11 > 0:40:14but you've got a few parts that are tucked out of the way that
0:40:14 > 0:40:18very few people know about and many of those are old industrial sites.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24Most of these old industrial sites are in the southern fringes
0:40:24 > 0:40:28of the National Park where, historically, the rustic North
0:40:28 > 0:40:30gave way to industrial South Wales.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40This old quarry is in the Central Beacons
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and there are many like it throughout the National Park.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46In many of these sites, you'll find special
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and protected wildlife during the spring, which is
0:40:49 > 0:40:52why I can't disclose the exact location of this quarry.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57This is a little ringed plover and, naturally,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59it nests on river shingle.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It's quite surprising, really, to find
0:41:04 > 0:41:07a pair of little ringed plover here in a quarry high up
0:41:07 > 0:41:10in the Brecon Beacons but, when you think about it
0:41:10 > 0:41:14and look around you, everything the birds need is here.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15They have gravel,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18where they lay their well-camouflaged eggs,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21they have grassy banks, where they can go and feed on invertebrates,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23they have shallow pools where, later on,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26they'll take their chicks to feed on the insects.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30So, to us, this might look like the surface of the moon
0:41:30 > 0:41:33but to a pair of little ringed plover, this is home.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45Another special bird has also taken up residence in the quarry.
0:41:45 > 0:41:50It's making use of the quarry cliffs for nesting.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53There's a very confiding female peregrine falcon
0:41:53 > 0:41:57sat on a nest less than 100 metres away from me here
0:41:57 > 0:42:01and they've chosen the old nest of a raven.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05These old quarries are great places for peregrines to nest.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I remember as a young lad growing up, these were very,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11very rare birds and they're not common now
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and there's something really special, I think,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18about peregrine falcons and to be able to lie here
0:42:18 > 0:42:22and share five minutes with a bird like that, it's a real privilege.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27In Wales, the Brecon Beacons are a stronghold for them,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29with more than 40 pairs nesting here.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34But they're nevertheless scarce breeders
0:42:34 > 0:42:37that are mainly confined to these former industrial sites.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41They're particularly sensitive at the nest site.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45Therefore, we're getting these shots at distance with a very long lens.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Although she's relaxed, she has one of the best eyes on the planet
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and knows we're here, so we won't be staying long.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I'm walking on one of the most popular routes
0:43:06 > 0:43:08in the Central Beacons.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12It's the path above a cwm called Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16and it has fantastic views of the mid-Wales lowlands and,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19across the valley, Corn Du and Pen y Fan,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21the highest peaks in southern Britain.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29In the spring, Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad
0:43:29 > 0:43:32is an important nesting location for birds.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35A regular visitor to this site
0:43:35 > 0:43:38is Breconshire bird recorder Andy King.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42- Andy. What a setting, eh? What a setting.- Fantastic, yes, yes.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Are you scanning for anything in particular?
0:43:45 > 0:43:47So much of interest here now in early summer.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50You know, you've got the summer migrants coming in and some of
0:43:50 > 0:43:53the more established birds like the peregrine falcon
0:43:53 > 0:43:55and things like that.
0:43:55 > 0:44:00Andy, you're the Breconshire County bird recorder. What does that mean?
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Every county across the UK has a county bird recorder
0:44:04 > 0:44:06and it's really their role
0:44:06 > 0:44:08to keep tabs on which species are doing well,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11which are in decline, as well as rarities
0:44:11 > 0:44:14that might get blown in from North America
0:44:14 > 0:44:15or come across from Europe.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Andy, together with an army of volunteer bird-watchers,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24gathers information on the birds in the Beacons.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26No matter where you go in the uplands,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29- there's always ravens, aren't there? - There always are, yes.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30Cronking away.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36He's taking me to a good spot for breeding birds on the upper slopes.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42Apparently, around 80 different bird species either visit or breed on
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Wheatears - and this is a fabulous male -
0:44:48 > 0:44:50breed pretty much everywhere in the uplands.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54But the speciality here is the ring ouzel -
0:44:54 > 0:44:56a summer migrant from North Africa.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02- Good spot for them?- Yeah, well, the crags and the breeding sites
0:45:02 > 0:45:04are away to our right on the national nature reserve,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07but this is common land here, quite tightly grazed,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and in the first month or so when the ring ouzels arrive
0:45:10 > 0:45:14in late March, fantastic supply of earthworms...
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Let's face it, the ring ouzel is basically a mountain blackbird,
0:45:17 > 0:45:20so it feeds very much the same as a garden blackbird.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26To put in perspective the importance of this site for this special bird,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30only around 12 pairs of ring ouzel breed in the entire National Park,
0:45:30 > 0:45:34and most of them nest here in Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49By late spring, the woodlands of waterfall country have turned green,
0:45:49 > 0:45:53and the deep gorges and waterfalls are beginning to disappear
0:45:53 > 0:45:55in the rich plant growth.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03There's something very hypnotic, I always think,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06about water like this, and the power of water.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08This is the River Mellte,
0:46:08 > 0:46:11and it's hard to believe standing here now,
0:46:11 > 0:46:17but 100 years ago, this was the site of a big gunpowder factory.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20The old buildings are still visible,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23before they become completely hidden by the spring plant growth.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Judith Morris' grandfather, her great-grandfather
0:46:28 > 0:46:32and her great-great-grandfather all worked at the gunpowder works
0:46:32 > 0:46:35and she still lives in the valley.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37How big was this at its height, then?
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Well, it employed around 65 workers.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46It had 70 buildings producing gunpowder for civil engineering,
0:46:46 > 0:46:50for mining, for quarries all over the world.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53- It was an absolute hive of activity.- Why here?
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Because it's a lovely looking valley, it's quiet.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Well, this is a really secluded spot
0:47:00 > 0:47:04but that really was one of the reasons it was chosen.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09The seclusion meant nobody would come into this area.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11- In case there was an accident, of course.- Yes, yes.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Also, the River Mellte serviced this area
0:47:14 > 0:47:18and it was a very strong river, and also the woods,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20they used the trees for charcoal,
0:47:20 > 0:47:24so it was an ideal valley for the gunpowder works.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26- It's fascinating, isn't it?- It is.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28We're right on the edge of the Brecon Beacons,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31a quiet, lovely wooded valley with a beautiful river
0:47:31 > 0:47:34flowing through it and there's all this amazing history here too.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36With a hidden secret.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41There are many reminders of the Beacons'
0:47:41 > 0:47:43cultural past in the landscape and,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46while today there are stunning scenic locations
0:47:46 > 0:47:48virtually everywhere in the National Park,
0:47:48 > 0:47:53it's a landscape that's been used, fashioned and refashioned by people
0:47:53 > 0:47:56and this has been going on for thousands of years.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19That is an impressive rock. Look at the size of that.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23This is Maen Llia and it's one of 30 standing stones in this area.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26This one is by far the most impressive one.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31What's interesting is that it's made of a rock called calcrete,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35which isn't found in this area, so they think that it was carried
0:48:35 > 0:48:38here by the ice age some 20,000 years ago
0:48:38 > 0:48:43but it was actually raised 4,000 years ago by our forefathers.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45And when you consider that they say
0:48:45 > 0:48:48that a third to a quarter of it is underground,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52that gives you some impression of the size of this thing.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56It's absolutely huge. Why is it here?
0:48:56 > 0:48:57Well, we're not quite sure.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Is it to mark a route? Is it a boundary?
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Has it got religious connotations? Nobody really knows.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10It's clearly a visible landmark on a pass between hills,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13so it could conceivably mark an important route.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18And there are many known ancient routes in the Beacons.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32They say it's spring but, up here, it is cold.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36It's really cold and this is an old Roman road. Trecastle,
0:49:36 > 0:49:39the village of Trecastle, is about two miles behind me.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42I've got Usk Reservoir down below me over there.
0:49:42 > 0:49:452,000 years ago when the Romans were here,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48this must have been quite a busy place with the legionnaires
0:49:48 > 0:49:50marching back and forth and the best thing for me
0:49:50 > 0:49:53is that every step of the way, I've heard skylarks.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57Not just one or two skylarks but a choir of skylarks.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59SKYLARKS CHIRP
0:49:59 > 0:50:03These males are singing for territory.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06They're trying to attract females and, when they've paired up,
0:50:06 > 0:50:08they'll breed and nest on the ground.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13It's a lovely spring sound.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Moorland locations like this attract many species of ground-nesting
0:50:20 > 0:50:24birds and they'll breed here from April right through till midsummer.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28I've got a nice patch here.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31You've got the rough grassland, you've got the rushes
0:50:31 > 0:50:35but you've got a little bit of gorse as well and on the gorse here,
0:50:35 > 0:50:39a male stonechat has been sitting up for a while.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42And near our territory, the female will be nearby somewhere.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Probably the nest will be in one of these gorse clumps
0:50:45 > 0:50:47and he's a really smart bird.
0:50:47 > 0:50:52He's got this sort of very dark head and a white collar
0:50:52 > 0:50:55and they'll always sit up somewhere prominent and if you go
0:50:55 > 0:50:58anywhere near the nest, they'll "chack, chack, chack" away to you.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01They'll tell you, "Listen, keep away here now."
0:51:01 > 0:51:04And this is typical meadow pipit habitat.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06There's lots of meadow pipits up here.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09They're a really important part of the food chain
0:51:09 > 0:51:11because all the birds of prey will be eating it.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15You have sparrows passing through, the merlins, peregrines as well.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18And talking of birds of prey, there's quite a few of those around.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21There's a buzzard, a whitish buzzard,
0:51:21 > 0:51:23perched up on a tree down there.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27He's probably keeping an eye open for mice and voles.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Again, you'll have lots of mice and voles in an area like this.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33And there's been a kite hanging around too,
0:51:33 > 0:51:36floating around using the wind.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38And that kite may be looking for mice and voles
0:51:38 > 0:51:41but, up here, probably looking for carrion.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Because it's so hostile in the winter
0:51:43 > 0:51:46and the end of the winter into spring, typically you'd have
0:51:46 > 0:51:48lots of dead sheep, dead lambs,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50so there's plenty of food up here for them.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56I always like looking for wildlife in the uplands during spring.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00You may have to walk for miles,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03but you quite often find something special.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10This is Fan Llia Ridge,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13one of the most spectacular paths in the Beacons.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15It's the longest of its type in Britain
0:52:15 > 0:52:17and leads you out of Fforest Fawr
0:52:17 > 0:52:20to Carmarthenshire and the Black Mountain area.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26This particular summit, right at the heart of the Black Mountain,
0:52:26 > 0:52:27is called Garreg Lwyd.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30It probably gets its Welsh name
0:52:30 > 0:52:33from the grey stones littering the summit.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36And it's an important resting area
0:52:36 > 0:52:38for migrating birds during the spring.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49This is one of those really lucky occasions where you're in
0:52:49 > 0:52:51the right place at the right time.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54There's a small flock of dotterel. They call them a trip,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57a small trip of dotterel. I'm not quite sure, maybe...
0:52:57 > 0:53:00I've seen nine birds, there might be one or two more.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02For me, that's a rare occurrence.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04The first time I've seen dotterel in Wales for probably about
0:53:04 > 0:53:08seven or eight years. This is a brilliant find.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11And these shoulders, these high tops here,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15are a regular passage place for these birds.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18They're birds that winter down in Morocco
0:53:18 > 0:53:22and probably these will breed up in the Highlands of Scotland
0:53:22 > 0:53:25and these ridges, they pass through most years.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28It's the first time I've stumbled across them here
0:53:28 > 0:53:31and they're cracking birds, they're absolutely stunning.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35If you look at them, some are more colourful than others and you
0:53:35 > 0:53:39would bet money that the colourful ones are the males, but they're not.
0:53:39 > 0:53:40They're the females.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Because when they get onto their breeding grounds,
0:53:43 > 0:53:47the female will mate with a male, she lays the eggs, but then
0:53:47 > 0:53:53she abandons it, she leaves the eggs and the chicks for the male to rear.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56She moves on, she mates with another male, lays some more eggs
0:53:56 > 0:53:58and moves on again.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00That's why she's the one who's colourful
0:54:00 > 0:54:03and he's the one who's quite drab cos he's the one who's going
0:54:03 > 0:54:06to have to sit on the floor incubating those eggs.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10The dotterel will also call in on the Beacons
0:54:10 > 0:54:13on their return journey to Africa during early autumn,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16but at that time, the females will not be as colourful,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19with the breeding season completed for another year.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30There are more than 5,000km of stone walls in the Brecon Beacons.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35This particular one is right on the western boundary
0:54:35 > 0:54:36of the National Park.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Stuart Fry has been building and repairing walls for 22 years.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47It's such hard and laborious work that he builds, on average,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49one kilometre of wall per year.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55It's not the best of days to be out on the hill by yourself.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58- Good Lord, no, it's not, is it? - How are you? Good to see you.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- How are you?- Good to see you. You carry on working. Go on.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- So what's happened here? You've got a bit of a...- A collapse.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- ..a break in the wall or a collapse. - Yeah, the wall's collapsed.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10How old is this wall, then? Do we know?
0:55:10 > 0:55:11Yes, we do know, funnily enough,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15because there was an enclosure act for the whole of this hill in 1812.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19It's classically... The earliest is going to be mid-1700s, you can
0:55:19 > 0:55:20tell that by the way it's built.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23I don't say it's not built well, cos that's a bit unkind to the...
0:55:23 > 0:55:26It's been here for, what? Nearly 300 years.
0:55:26 > 0:55:32But it's got characteristics that tell me it wasn't built by...
0:55:32 > 0:55:33Craftsmen.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Well, I wouldn't say they weren't craftsmen,
0:55:35 > 0:55:37they were being paid for what they put up.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41- It was a fast job?- Fast job. Get it up as quick as they could.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43If you see a collapsed wall, look in the middle.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46The middle is called the hearting.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49It's the heart of the wall and if that fails...
0:55:49 > 0:55:52And the way it fails is it's not packed tightly enough
0:55:52 > 0:55:55when the wall is put up and it'll sink, it'll rattle down
0:55:55 > 0:55:59to the middle, so that the two sides are not supported.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01And the fundamental of dry-stone walling,
0:56:01 > 0:56:05it's why people's garden walls always fall down, if you think of...
0:56:05 > 0:56:07There's a good example here now of why this has fallen.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10If you look at that stone...
0:56:10 > 0:56:14that is laid in exactly the same way as you'd lay a brick or
0:56:14 > 0:56:15a concrete block.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18That's not the way to do dry-stone walling.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21If you look at this stone, the depth,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24the length of the stone is into the wall.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27It's zippering into the wall and that's the way to do it.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30But, of course, you've only covered that much face
0:56:30 > 0:56:33whereas, by putting it that way, you've covered that much face.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36So if you want to build it quickly, throw it up like that.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38And that's why these walls fail.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44Stuart's walls will probably last another 300 years and, who knows?
0:56:44 > 0:56:48Someone might be here then to read his stones for an insight
0:56:48 > 0:56:51into the Brecon Beacons and its people of today.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57Many have lived and worked in the remotest parts of the Beacons
0:56:57 > 0:56:59for thousands of years.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Even the bleakest upland has been much more densely
0:57:02 > 0:57:03settled in the past.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08These walls were built by a Celtic tribe
0:57:08 > 0:57:112,500 years ago.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Do you know, the Brecon Beacons National Park
0:57:18 > 0:57:21has got so much to offer, an incredible amount.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24You've got the landscape, you've got the wildlife,
0:57:24 > 0:57:26you've got peace and solitude when you want it,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29and you've got a lot of history, too.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31And this is one of the Park's many hidden gems.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35It's Garn Fawr, it's an Iron Age hill fort.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39Inside this, and this is huge, you could fit five,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42six rugby pitches in here, maybe even more.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44There would have been a whole village,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47if not a town, in here and the views over the Towy Valley
0:57:47 > 0:57:51looking towards Llandovery that way, Llandeilo the other way.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55I've been lucky because this spring I've had the park pretty much
0:57:55 > 0:57:59to myself, but all of that is going to change now
0:57:59 > 0:58:00when I come back in the summer.
0:58:01 > 0:58:06The summer is the peak time for visitors in the National Park.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09It's also a time when fox cubs come out to play,
0:58:09 > 0:58:13hundreds of dragonflies emerge from pools,
0:58:13 > 0:58:16and lizards bathe in the sun.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19I'll then go on to finish my journey during autumn,
0:58:19 > 0:58:21and the stunning colours of the fall.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25Thousands of birds arrive from Europe
0:58:25 > 0:58:27to escape the colder winter of the continent.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32It's also the best time to pick mushrooms
0:58:32 > 0:58:34and see trout head upstream to spawn.