0:00:02 > 0:00:05The seasons in Wales divide up our year.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Each one brings its own colours and creatures to our landscape.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12But how important are they to our lives?
0:00:12 > 0:00:16We now live in towns and cities and work inside more than out.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21Do we notice the subtle changes that each season brings?
0:00:22 > 0:00:28I'm Renee Godfrey and all of my life I've been obsessed with the seasons.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I've surfed competitively for nine years.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35In the water, life is controlled by the weather and waves around you.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Surfing is all about knowing what nature is doing.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40It dictates everything in my daily routine.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45But surfers aren't the only ones living by the seasons.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47I experience the seasons through the ocean
0:00:47 > 0:00:50but now I want to explore how the seasons affect the lives
0:00:50 > 0:00:52of people all across Wales.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56'I'm leaving my city home, and heading out to work with people
0:00:56 > 0:01:01'whose lives are still really connected with the natural changes of the year.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Our priority is to get to the casualty
0:01:03 > 0:01:06and then we'll call in personnel when we need them.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07'Over the next year,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11'I want to immerse myself in the different rhythms of the seasons.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Good Lord!
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I want to be part of the incredible events that mark these changes.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20It's just the most incredible thing I think I've ever, ever seen.
0:01:20 > 0:01:26And I want to show how and why these seasons are still really important to all of us.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Now, last month was the driest March in Wales since 1944,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38so we could do with a drop more rain
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and it looks like there is some rain on the way on Monday and Tuesday,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44fresh to strong winds as well...
0:01:44 > 0:01:47There are three million people in Wales.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Over 80% of us now live in urban areas.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52I grew up on the coast in Penarth.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56The sea has been my playground since I was a little girl.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Even though I've travelled all over the world,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I still get excited when the winter chill subsides
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and crisp, new spring swells start to arrive.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's a beautiful spring day.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14It's the first time that you can really feel the warmth in the sun.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16I'm on my favourite beach and there's a new swell arrived
0:02:16 > 0:02:19so I'm going to get out there and get amongst the waves.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26It's April 2011. The sun is back after a long, cold winter.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30The water is warming up, the days are getting longer
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and people are finally emerging outside to soak up the spring sunshine.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Spring is such an exciting time of year.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Suddenly there's more light in the daytime so you can do more,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42everybody's getting outside a lot more.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46You feel like you can shake off the winter and the cold
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and just enjoy nature again.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55I want to see how the arrival of spring changes the landscape
0:02:55 > 0:02:56and lives of the Welsh people.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00To begin my journey, I'm heading north,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02away from the coast, to the mountains of Snowdonia.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Hill farmers have helped shape the landscape of Wales over centuries.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11For them, the changing seasons still mean everything.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17I've come here to meet Gareth Wyn Jones at his family farm,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20high in the Carneddau mountains.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21It's five o'clock in the morning.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27I'm in Llanfairfechan to find out what spring is like on a farm.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31- Morning, Gareth.- Good morning. - How are you? Are you all right?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Not too bad at all.- Nice to see you. - Welcome to Llanfairfechan.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Thank you very much.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37- Are you ready for some work? - Absolutely!
0:03:37 > 0:03:42Spring comes to North Wales a little later than in the South.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45This is a really important time for Gareth.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49It's lambing season and he needs all the help he can get.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52A lovely day for it. It's a little bit windy.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58'Gareth's family has over 3,000 ewes
0:03:58 > 0:04:01'and they take a lot of feeding every morning.'
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Come on.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Breakfast time for the girls.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11How old were you when you started farming?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- When I started walking.- Really?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Yeah, my father used to take us around.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18My boy comes with me the same now,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21so something handed down from generation to generation.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24We go back over 300 years in these mountains.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28COCKEREL CROWS
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Ducks. There's some lovely duck eggs here for you.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34You are completely self-sufficient here?
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Yeah, we've got our own veg patch, we grow everything for ourselves.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41And keep our own honeybees as well.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- What more could you want? - A brewery, really!
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's a little bit difficult to get the planning up here.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Gareth's farm life seems idyllic.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55But within minutes, I'm in the middle of a lambing drama.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56She's been scanned.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Dog, get back.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- OK?- OK.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Right, you tell me what you want me to do.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- What we've got there now, two legs. - Yeah.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- OK? You want to pull them out first, to begin with.- These two?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Yeah, one at a time.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- Oh, slippery little suckers.- Yeah.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19You try and get your hand like this, gripped.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- Like you're on the second joint there, the second knuckle.- Yeah.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Keep your hand exactly on the second knuckle. A little pluck.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- OK, that's far enough.- Yeah. - The same with the second foot.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- Is this one all right? - SHEEP BLEATS
0:05:35 > 0:05:39You're doing a great job. There's no big rush.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40There's no big rush.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42One more, and we're there.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45One more. Go on. SHEEP BLEATS
0:05:45 > 0:05:47That's the one.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Don't stop now, all the way out. Hold his head. Hold him.- Come on.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Hey, there we go, little one.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- Go on.- Oh, look at that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Bring him round to mummy, then she can have a little lick.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Get back.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Right round to here. OK?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- There you go.- Let her see.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Oh...
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It's important for her to lick it. You come round to me here now.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14That's a sign that she's taking it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18What I'm going to do is go away with the dog. You're in charge now.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- Keep his head up? - He's OK, don't worry about him.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- Just make sure she's... - Rubbing her nose.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- ..rubbing her nose and she' licking him properly.- OK.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30See?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- That's it. Your first lamb?- Wow!
0:06:33 > 0:06:36She's having a good old lick.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Oh, amazing! I've never seen anything been born before.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45There we are.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It's funny how you don't feel at all squeamish,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57you just kind of go into mode of,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59"Right, let's get on with it."
0:07:01 > 0:07:04You should call her Violet after my nan who's from Llanfairfechan.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06GARETH LAUGHS
0:07:07 > 0:07:10But not every birth is this successful.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13In a nearby field, we find a young ewe with a stillborn lamb.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18What we're going to do now, you go on the bottom side,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- I'll go on the top side.- OK. - Make sure she doesn't pass you
0:07:20 > 0:07:24because I don't want to let the dog out to disturb the other sheep here with young lambs.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29- We'll try and catch her together.- OK. - If not, we both might be having a bit of a run.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Go, go, go, go, go.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35That's it. Go, go, go, go, go.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Quick!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I'll get the dog. Go on, go on!
0:07:45 > 0:07:46OK, OK.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Oh, I'm a bit puffed out.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- I got her.- Well done!
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- Fair play. Don't let go, whatever you do.- Come on.- Brilliant.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- It's like playing bulldogs. - Absolutely.- Like when you were a kid.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It's lucky we're on the field. Up there would have been more difficult.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I don't know if I would have run so fast up a mountain.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12You did fantastic, fair play to you.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17'With the mother on board, we now have the unpleasant task of collecting the dead lamb.'
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's still a bit sad, though, isn't it?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It is sad for us as well because...
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- it's totally a good lamb, there's nothing wrong with it.- Ohh.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's just had something over its nose.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I wonder why it died?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It's still warm, isn't it?
0:08:34 > 0:08:39- Oh, yes, still all floppy as well, no rigor mortis yet.- Yeah.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Oh, poor little thing.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45OK. So we'll...
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Suddenly a lamb dinner doesn't seem quite so appealing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54'I'm starting to learn that life can be quite harsh on the mountain.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58'But farmers have developed a way of ensuring the survival of as many lambs as possible.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02'This mother is injured and unlikely to be able to bring up her twins.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06'So we hope to foster one of them with the ewe that lost her lamb.'
0:09:06 > 0:09:09There's one young ewe there,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- she's a little bit lame, we have done her feet.- Yeah.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16I think we'll take one of her lambs off her.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18OK. Aw.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20One on the left?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Get the first one to you. This first one.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Aw.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- Hello, little one. Aw. - Straight from her.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I feel like a child-snatcher, you know.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- It's a new life for him, a new mother.- Aw.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44The next stage in the process is generations old.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Not pleasant, but it works.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Poor little thing, off with its head.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Gareth strips off the skin of the dead lamb to place it over the twin.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07This is the most important piece.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11It's his back end. That's where a lot of the smell will be.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Ah, right. OK.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Hole for his head in there. OK?
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Yeah. Is that all right? Push his ears through.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- That's it.- There we go.- OK.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28So let's get two holes for the front now.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Come on. There we go.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- One more.- Aw! You look great!
0:10:33 > 0:10:37'If this isn't done, it's likely the ewe will reject the fostered lamb.'
0:10:37 > 0:10:41She's got a lovely big bag, hasn't she? Just check the milk's there.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43'Even now, acceptance isn't guaranteed.'
0:10:47 > 0:10:49He's hungry.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- He's having a good old drink.- Yeah.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- Aw! - This colostrum is very important.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02- If they don't get this in the first 12 hours, they don't survive.- Really?
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Keep drinking.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- This is what we wanted, isn't it? - Makes it worthwhile.- Yeah.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11This is the test now to see if it's worked, to see if she'll accept him.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15LAMB BLEATS If she starts butting him now, she's...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18What do you think? Let's see. Let's see.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20She's not butting him.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- She hasn't rejected him.- No.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28So, in my opinion, that's going to be a success story.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32That's a very good sign.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Very good sign.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'For the rest of Gareth's flock,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'spring is a time to leave their lowland winter grazing
0:11:41 > 0:11:45'and return to the mountains to find the best pasture.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49'This ancient practice is deeply rooted in the seasons.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53'Years ago, farmers would move with their sheep
0:11:53 > 0:11:54'between their winter home, or hendre,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57'and the hafod, where they spent the summer.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02'Today carries a special significance.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05'It's the first day of herding.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- We'll take them up every single day. - Really?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Every day, I'll go up and take them up onto the heft,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14until they've learnt that's where they're supposed to be -
0:12:14 > 0:12:18not to come back down to the gates for food - up there for the summer.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- Lovely day for it(!)- Fantastic, just what the doctor ordered(!)
0:12:27 > 0:12:30'I really want to be a help to Gareth,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32'but I'm still learning the ropes
0:12:32 > 0:12:34'and I'm absolutely no match for his sheepdogs.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:36GARETH WHISTLES
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Stand there. Stand there.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Here!- Well done!
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'Gareth shares 27,000 acres of communal grazing land
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'with other local farmers.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'Once they're on the mountain, there are no fences or gates,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'so there's fierce competition for the best ground.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03'I thought we were working quickly, but for the first time in 20 years,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06'Gareth's neighbour has beaten us to the mountaintop.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- Bore da. Chi'n iawn, hogiau?- Haia.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- Bore da.- Bore da.- You beat us to it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Yes. Well, we're very early today.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20We thought, "We'll just get it over and done with."
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- It's not fair, is it? - Early bird catches the worm.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25We tried to race you up, but you got ahead.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It's the best... Well, the best they've gone up ever, I think.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30They just went up.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Usually one or two stragglers try and get down. They wanted to go up.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- I'm not going to live this down. - Oh, no!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He's loving it, isn't he? He loves it!
0:13:43 > 0:13:45'We head on further up the mountain...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51'..eventually reaching the heft.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Are you happy these sheep are here now and safe?
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They're on their cynefin now, on the heft.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I don't know if they'll stay there in this big wind, though.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04I don't fancy staying in this big wind. Let's go.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You're right. Let's go for dinner.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11'By the end of the day, I'm cold, wet and shattered.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'High up in the mountains, the seasons are harsh.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16'And as I found out, even in spring,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18'the weather can turn brutal in minutes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24'Elsewhere in Wales, the arrival of spring
0:14:24 > 0:14:27'is a time when the sun warms the land and the days get longer.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30'By mid April, I can see nature
0:14:30 > 0:14:33'beginning to stir after the long winter.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38'And for my old friend Andrew Price, that means one thing - free food.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42'Andrew forages on the Gower Peninsula.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45'And I always know when I see him, I'm in for an adventure.'
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- Hey.- Hello there.- How are you?
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- Nice to see you again. - You too. You too!
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- Come and warm up by the fire. - Oooh, lovely!
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- It's a misty old morning, isn't it? - It is.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- It's going to burn off pretty soon, I think.- Oooh, that's nice and warm.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- And what's on the menu? - Well, I hope you're hungry.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06We've got a lot of foraging to do,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09but as soon as we get down to the low-tide mark,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11we'll start looking for razor clams.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14We'll blast those out and get onto the rocks later on
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and get some mussels, limpets and periwinkles.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Yum!- It's going to be a pretty good day.- Brilliant!
0:15:20 > 0:15:22'Since he was a youngster,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'Andrew has been fascinated by the wild food found in Wales.'
0:15:26 > 0:15:29When I was about eight years old, my grandad would bring us here
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and we'd forage around, look in rock pools, see what we could find.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34So it kind of extends from there, really.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38'Today, he makes a living out of passing on his knowledge
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'to eager pupils like myself.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Basically, we're at the point
0:15:44 > 0:15:47where the tide is going back further than it normally would.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50So we've got a good springtide. It's like 3.6 metres.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54That means this part of the beach doesn't get exposed to the air often,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57so it's a really good place to look for the razor clams.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00When we walk along, they feel the vibrations from us.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04You normally see a shoot of water coming out of the ground and a little crater forms.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07So that's where they are. There's a couple of different ways to get them out.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12The traditional method was to hook them out with a kind of harpoon.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14But I find that a little bit fiddly.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Another way is to trick them into coming out
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- by putting some salt on the top of the hole.- Ah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22So you put a little mound of salt right where they've gone under.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26And an even more dramatic method is to blast salty water,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29really strong, concentrated brine, straight down the hole.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- And that'll get them shifting, as well, hopefully.- Right, OK.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- So are you going to go...? Shall I just follow your...?- Yeah, OK.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39What I normally do is I'll shuffle backwards,
0:16:39 > 0:16:44- and if you stay about 30 metres or so in front of me...- OK.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48..and when I've put the salt on the hole, they should come up by the time you get to me.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50And what do I do when they come up?
0:16:50 > 0:16:51So when they come up,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54they'll poke the shell out of the ground a little bit,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56probably about that much.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- You need to very carefully grab it. - Carefully grab?
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Well, grab it firmly, but don't pull too hard
0:17:03 > 0:17:05because it'll be holding itself firmly
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- and trying to pull itself back into the sand.- OK.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09So just hold onto it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12After a few seconds, you'll feel the mussel release a little bit,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- and then you should be able to pull him out.- OK.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20(Oh, look, look! You can see the salt moving.)
0:17:20 > 0:17:22(I don't know why I'm whispering.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25(I don't think he understands what I'm saying, but...
0:17:25 > 0:17:27(Look, look! Here he comes!)
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Yee!
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Right. Oh!
0:17:38 > 0:17:41There we go. I got one, I got one!
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Great!
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Success! Instant success!
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Look at that!
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Look how he comes in and out.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51It's a bit rude.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54'Razor clams, or razor shells,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'are found on sandy beaches all over northern Europe.'
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I've never done this before.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Foraging for me is just going and picking some blackberries
0:18:04 > 0:18:08or scrumping apples or plums from forest areas.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10This is great.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Yeah! Oooh, it's a big one.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16'The key to finding them is a beach with a large tidal range,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20'and South Wales has some of the biggest tides in the world.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24'There are lots of people on the beach, so we only take a handful.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28'In recent years, razor clams have become a popular food,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'and it's important to only take as many as you need.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:34THEY LAUGH
0:18:35 > 0:18:38He's trying to shift that salt now.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Hee!- That's a good one. - That's a good one.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44They'd be £15 a bundle in Swansea Market.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49What do we need to do with these now?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51If we ate them now, they'd be full of sand,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55so a bit crunchy. But if you put them into some clean salt water,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57so like rock pool clean water,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00that will enable them to purge themselves of all the sand,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02so when we eat them, they'll be a lot nicer.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07'With our clams soaking, Andrew and I head to the woodland to find some salad.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:12This is the obvious one that has caught my eye. I like this.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- It's called Jack-by-the-hedge.- OK.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Or hedge garlic is another name for it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And it's sort of like the wild garlic, the ramsons,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24in the sense that it has a garlic flavour, but not as overpowering.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Oh, we've got another one tucked away in here.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31'The spring woodland is full of edible plants.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34'Andrew points out hedge garlic,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36'wall pennywort and dandelion leaves.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41'I find this kind of coastal foraging really exciting.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'Andrew's shown me all these foods that are literally under my toes.'
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Mm! Mm.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Some wild foods you can find, and they're...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's more the novelty of searching for them and finding them
0:19:58 > 0:20:00than eating them. They don't truly taste that good.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04But this is absolutely...delicious.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Really, really yummy.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I enjoy all the seasons for whatever reason.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Autumn for the berries and things like that.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22But when spring comes around, there's a total freshness to everything.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Everything is new and vibrant and ready to go.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And there's something about that.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31And I think this epitomises it, really, the fresh seafood, and...
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It really does.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35What a feast!
0:20:35 > 0:20:38'Sitting in the warm sun on a beautiful beach,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41'eating food I've foraged myself -
0:20:41 > 0:20:44'this is my idea of heaven in Wales.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48'With a full belly, I'm back on the road again,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51'heading further around the coast to where Wales meets England
0:20:51 > 0:20:55'and Britain's longest river finally reaches the sea.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02'The mouth of the River Severn has long been a playground for surfers like me.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05'But during the spring and autumn equinox,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08'a very different kind of wave reaches the shore.'
0:21:08 > 0:21:10It's a bit strange.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14This is a nice, quiet, peaceful riverbank.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18I can't really get my head around the fact that tomorrow morning,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22there's going to be a massive wave moving up the river.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24It just doesn't really make sense.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32'Ever since I was a child, I've wanted to surf the Severn bore.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35'It's one of Wales' greatest natural events.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40'Since 1955, surfers like me have been teased by the promise
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'of riding one of the longest waves in the world.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46'With every new and full moon,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49'the springtide pushes water up the River Severn.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53'As this tide rushes up the narrowing estuary,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'a powerful wave forms and surges upriver.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01'The spring equinox produces one of the biggest bores of the year,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'and has always been a marking point for the end of winter.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12'I've come to meet Steve King, a bore surfing legend
0:22:12 > 0:22:14'who's surfed here for 30 years
0:22:14 > 0:22:18'and knows every twist and turn of the river.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:20As it comes up, it gets narrower and narrower.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So the water kind of comes in like that.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26It can't go sideways. It's got to go somewhere because the riverbed is holding it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29In the end, it trips up over itself, and that's what the bore is -
0:22:29 > 0:22:32it's high tide coming in all at once.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36So that will just trip up, and then when it drops into deep water, it disappears.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40You'll be surprised - it'll be six foot in one section,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and then you'll turn around and it'll disappear.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44But it is always different.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46We kind of think we know what we're doing,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49but it does come and catch us out sometimes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- Brilliant! I'm looking forward to it. Thank you.- OK.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00'I hardly sleep that night.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'And next morning, the river is eerily still.'
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- Anything I should be worried about this morning?- Not really, no.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Just be careful.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12We do surf quite close to the bank sometimes, so there's rocks, trees.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Sometimes you have to duck down underneath a tree.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18There's all sorts of stuff in here - fridges, oil drums,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20you've got to avoid great big bits of wood.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23In some places, there'll be kind of 30, 40 people,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26all after just one wave, don't forget. It's one wave.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31If I'm honest, I'm feeling a little bit apprehensive
0:23:31 > 0:23:35just because I'm surfing a river wave,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37which I've never really seen before,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40on a board I've never surfed, in a place I don't really know.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44And there's lots of different variables to surfing in the sea.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46But...um...I'm sure it'll be fine.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Steve is telling me tales of dead sheep
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and drums of oil floating down and logs coming down the river.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55I just hope I don't fall off.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I don't mind a bit of mud.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01'Steve is the world-record holder for distance surfing,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'having travelled over nine miles on the 2006-2007 bore.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08'So I'm in good hands as we head downstream.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:12This is as far as we can go with the boat because it's so shallow
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and it gets dangerous from beyond this point.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17So what we'll do, we'll pop in the river now on the boards,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21and we'll paddle down as far as you can see. OK?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And then we will wait for the bore to come around the top corner.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30'The water is freezing and filthy.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'Here comes the bore, rumbling around the bend,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37'sweeping up everything in its path. We turn and paddle.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41'And before I know it, I'm riding the Severn bore.'
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Whoo!
0:24:59 > 0:25:01This is really fun!
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Lean sideways, a little bit of shoulder there.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- Yeah!- It takes it out of you.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- Oh, look at that! Oooh! - HE LAUGHS
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- That's it.- Whoo-hoo!- There you go. Right, come back again.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20'As the river deepens and widens, the wave fades away beneath me.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'So it's back in the boat and full steam ahead.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:31We're charging down river, racing to get ahead of the bore
0:25:31 > 0:25:33so that we can jump back in and catch it again.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39'As we blast upstream, the wave gets better,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41'steeper and faster,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43'but also more crowded.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48'Hundreds of people come to surf the bore on these big tides every year.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52'I jump to my feet again with surfers on either side.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'But this is very different from surfing in the sea.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02'Even a canoeist joins in the action.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I'm really polite in the water, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry."
0:26:14 > 0:26:16"Sorry about that. I hope I'm not in your way."
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And then he just wiped me out and I'm gone!
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'But it wasn't just canoeists causing us problems.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:27- It's great having a boat. - We're going to need to wait. Ah!
0:26:30 > 0:26:32We're one camera down.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34We got seriously splashed,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39which is fine for me in my wetsuit, but not fine for the poor camera.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So we're now down to camera number three,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45which is considerably smaller.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50'The boat is invaluable in getting us ahead of the wave.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54'If you fall off here, you have a long wait.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57'The next wave is in 12 hours' time.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01'We've got one last chance to ride the bore.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'We paddle hard.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09'But I'm too far from the bank and can't believe I miss it.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12'Steve's years of experience show through
0:27:12 > 0:27:16'and he paddles into the best section of the day.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21'This is what I dreamt about -
0:27:21 > 0:27:25'long rides, ducking under trees
0:27:25 > 0:27:27'and weaving through flotsam and jetsam.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31'But even a blue raft seems to be doing better than me.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38'This is a very different wave from the ocean swell I'm used to.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41'If you catch it right, you can surf for over two hours
0:27:41 > 0:27:44'and travel 20 miles.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:55It's incredible when you think what the big springtide has brought,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and all the people who come to enjoy it and surf it and watch it.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01There's thousands of people on the bridges above us.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03It's a good day out.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I can't think of a better way to experience spring,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10out in the elements, celebrating that magical time
0:28:10 > 0:28:13between winter's chill and the warmth of the summer.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20It's been a beautiful spring.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25But the year marches on and summer is around the corner.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Next time, I take to the skies above the Black Mountains,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31riding summer thermals in a glider.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33For the fishermen in Aberystwyth,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36the summer brings a tasty visitor to our shores.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41And I team up with Gareth again for shearing time on the farm.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd