0:00:02 > 0:00:03It's July in Wales,
0:00:03 > 0:00:06spring flowers have given way to the heat of summer,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08and millions of us have left the towns and cities
0:00:08 > 0:00:10to head for the coast.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14I'm Renee Godfrey,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19and as a surfer, my life has always been controlled by the seasons.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21This year, in 2011,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I want to find out what these seasons mean to all of us in Wales.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30For those people that live from the land, summer is a time of hard work,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33when the years' profits can be made or lost.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- Oh, I didn't get that one. - Up, up, up, got it.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The hot sun totally transforms Wales,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42the warmer water brings new visitors to our coastline.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I would not want to be on the receiving end of a fight
0:00:46 > 0:00:49with some of these claws.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And our mountains are lit up by the years' greatest farming event.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Wow, look at that.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Over the next three months,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01I'm off to explore how the people who live by the seasons
0:01:01 > 0:01:03make the most of summer.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And how the rest of us celebrate the weather it brings.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Woo, ooh!
0:01:09 > 0:01:13I want to discover the new wildlife arriving on our shores.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Do you want to kiss him before I put him back in?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Yeah, I'm going to go in with him.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I want to get in touch with the rhythms of the season.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm glad I had not very much for breakfast this morning.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Summertime is when Wales steps outside,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and we immerse ourselves in the outdoors,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32whatever the weather.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45For those in the farming community across Wales,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48day to day work is dictated by the seasons.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The start of summer on Gareth Wyn Jones' family farm
0:01:52 > 0:01:54in the Carneddau mountains
0:01:54 > 0:01:58is the time to round up his sheep, and shear the wool ready for sale.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00All right? Not bad, not bad, nice to see you.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02This is Emrys.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05- How are you?- I'm very well, thank you, that's a firm handshake, isn't it?
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Crikey.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Hey, hey, none of that.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13In the spring, I helped Gareth take his flock up to these hills,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18where they spread out across 27,000 acres of Snowdonia.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I'm now part of his team gathering up this huge flock,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and bringing them back down to his farm again.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So, what we're going to be doing now, behind you,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31we'll be going up here, a place called Pant Yr Eryr.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- OK.- OK, so, that will be "The valley of the eagles."
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Mmm-hmm.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37- So, quite safe. - SHE LAUGHS
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Then I'll be at the top.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Yeah.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42You'll be in the middle, and then Emrys will be on the bottom side.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43OK.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45But it's a hell of an important,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48to take all the sheep with our marks on them with us.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- Right.- We don't want to take any of other people's.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53So, we're cutting the gathering.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55And it is important that we do this properly
0:02:55 > 0:02:58because we could take 200 or 300 sheep from somebody else,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- and we don't want to do that. - We don't want to do that.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05But as soon as we get up on to the hill
0:03:05 > 0:03:07there are so many farmers and dogs
0:03:07 > 0:03:10that I totally forget what I should be doing.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Sheep are heading off in all directions,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and I'm running round like a headless chicken.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20The farmers take it all in their stride
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and Gareth knows exactly what's going on,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25so I decide to stick with him.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29There's a massive coming together of them all,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and they're just all charging down towards Gareth's farm.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The area that the sheep graze on is so large
0:03:35 > 0:03:38that it can't be cleared in a single day,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41so the mountains are split up into hefts,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46areas of land on which each farmer has ancient grazing rights.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49On certain round up days, specific hefts will be cleared.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51WHISTLING
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Today's round up brings together eight farmers
0:03:53 > 0:03:56who all have sheep on the enormous Conway heft.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02SHOUTS AND WHISTLES
0:04:02 > 0:04:06You had me running round less like a sheep herder, more like a sheepdog.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08You did a great job, fair play, it's not easy, is it?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11It's hard, you can see you're trying to keep that line coming up the hill.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- Yeah, yeah.- And then trying to get them all across.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's important that we come together,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17that's why I was trying to push you on.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19WHISTLES
0:04:19 > 0:04:20After five hours on the mountain,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23the sheep are finally coming together.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Wow, look at that.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29It's a sight, isn't it?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32That is amazing, God, they're just pouring off the hillside.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Yeah.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36This is what it's about, getting them all together,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and getting them into these lines.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41This is what they call in Welsh, "blaen y ddalfa", head of the gathering,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44where we bring the sheep together,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and now we head home for Llanfairfechan, it's all down hill now.
0:04:47 > 0:04:48Ha-ha, great!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57The round up covers such a huge area
0:04:57 > 0:05:01that the farmers need all the help they can get,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04all friends and family are roped in.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Basically, these are all Gareth's cousins,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10the family and neighbouring farmers and everything,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13so everybody's just all pitching in together to help out.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14It's a big social event.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- It is?- Family day, yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23'Gareth's sheep are marked at birth with the distinctive blue circle.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'Our challenge now is to separate these ones from all the others.'
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Now the fun begins,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31now the arguments start, are you ready?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Yeah, here they go, look at them all go.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36They're mad, aren't they?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Gareth's flock holds 3,500 sheep,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50like all of these farmers, he depends on them for his livelihood.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Today is a vital chance to check on their health,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and see if any have been lost to the mountain.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00We're taking all ours to the top side here,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and all the other ones are going along there now.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Aah, OK.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06And then Jude is taking his out there.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Yeah.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So, what's important is that we doing go wrong here, now.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13If you watch what I'm doing now, he's one of ours,
0:06:13 > 0:06:14you can see his ear marks again.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17So, that one goes through.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22You need somebody special on the gate.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Are you going to have a go in a minute?
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Yeah.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27'Now, separating sheep
0:06:27 > 0:06:32'has to be one of the most confusing jobs I've ever seen.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'Gareth's sheep have a big, blue O on their side,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38'after Gareth's grandfather, Owen.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41'But lots of other farmers also mark their sheep blue.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'So, Gareth is looking for tiny, distinctive notch
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'that he's cut into the sheep's ear when it was born.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'My problem is that I don't know what this notch looks like.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Right, come on, that's been enough now, your go, get on it.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- My go?- Yeah, get on the gate.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Crikey, right, so, blue, ours are going in here, yeah?
0:06:58 > 0:06:59- Yeah.- OK.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Concentrate, now.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- That one's down. - That one's down, yeah.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- Down again.- Down.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06All up now.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Oh! I didn't get that one.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09- Up! Up! Up!- Got it.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- Up!- Yeah.- Up!- Yeah.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Down!
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Oh, sorry.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Down.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Up, up!
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Down!
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- But it's blue.- Doesn't matter.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22Up, up!
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Listen to what I'm telling you.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- It's all team work, everybody knows their job.- Yeah.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It's just unlucky that you get the job on the gate
0:07:31 > 0:07:32cos it is quite complicated.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36You're not as nice when you're angry, are you?
0:07:36 > 0:07:40No, all these are on my back if we don't do it properly,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- we're going to have to catch all them again.- Yeah, I see.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'New lambs born on the mountain are marked,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'and the whole flock is dosed with anti-worming medicine.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53'Summer is a pretty uncomfortable time to be sheep,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57'as their thick wool becomes a haven for pests.'
0:07:57 > 0:07:58Sheep rodeo, right.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Oh!
0:08:01 > 0:08:03You can really see why it's time for these guys
0:08:03 > 0:08:06to come down off the mountain and be sheared,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09because there's actually quite a small sheep
0:08:09 > 0:08:11underneath all this wool,
0:08:11 > 0:08:16and also, underneath here, you start to get a build up of mud
0:08:16 > 0:08:17and all sorts of nasties,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and that's just going to attract maggots and flies
0:08:20 > 0:08:22and generally not be very nice.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26'But ten years ago this was a very different scene,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28'the price of wool was so low
0:08:28 > 0:08:32'that farmers were actually making a loss doing the round up and shearing.'
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Right, this is where the shearing's done.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The wool, years ago, used to pay the rent on a lot of farms,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41it was very important.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44But the last six or seven years it had gone,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- it was really worthless, people didn't really want it.- Yeah.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49They were paying a lot more to shear it
0:08:49 > 0:08:51than that they were getting for the wool.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53But that's gone full circle again,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55- cos the price has gone and rocketed up.- Yeah, yeah.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- Things are looking up for farmers, hopefully.- Fingers crossed.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- Yeah. So, are you going to shear a couple for us?- Yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Come on, then. Go get me one.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05'Over the last five years,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09'the number of sheep being reared globally has gone down,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12'but the demand for wool is still high,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16'so farmers can now earn a much better price.'
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Sorry, girls.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21'In Britain, the price of wool has tripled in the last three years.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23'But the price you get for a fleece
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'is still determined by how well it's been shorn.'
0:09:27 > 0:09:30This needs to be on the skin.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33'And an inexperienced hand like mine
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'can easily leave it patchy and shredded.'
0:09:37 > 0:09:40That wool's going to be worthless now.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Oh, sorry.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43No, you're OK. You're OK.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I just messed that up a bit because I was too nervous
0:09:47 > 0:09:49and didn't just go in with the clippers,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I was just afraid to cut her, really.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Marvellous.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Sweating.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Sorry.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'A well shorn fleece is worth around £1.50,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'and a quick shearer can get through 200 sheep in a day.'
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I tell you what, it's not easy.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11They work hard, and they only get 75 pence for doing that.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15So, I mean, how does summer compare to the other seasons for you,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17in terms of work that you've got to put in.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18- Physical.- Yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Very physical, when we were on that mountain today.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23That was very hardcore, yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25It is hard work, and you know that's one of seven,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28we do seven different gatherings like that.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30And it's got to be done quickly, efficiently,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34so you see now when everybody works together it's a big social event.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Yeah, yeah.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37So, it's so important for us to keep that,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and it keeps the weight off me.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45While summer is Gareth's busiest time,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48it is, traditionally, holiday season for the rest of us.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55Over two and a half million people visit our coastline each year
0:10:55 > 0:10:58to lap up the hot sun and sandy beaches.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08But the ocean plays a big part in the changing seasons in Wales.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Ocean currents across the Atlantic bring warm water to our shores,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15giving us our mild winters and wet summers.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17The warm summer waves that I surf
0:11:17 > 0:11:19come all the way across the Atlantic.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And these ocean currents are hugely important
0:11:24 > 0:11:26to a small part of the Welsh workforce.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Ah, Dean.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- Lovely to meet you.- You too. You too.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Beautiful day. - It's gorgeous, isn't it, amazing.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39You couldn't have picked a better day for it, could you?
0:11:39 > 0:11:40It's fab, absolutely fab.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- Are you ready for it?- I am, yeah, oil skins on?- Let's go.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Right, they're not exactly glamorous these, are they?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They look better on some people than they do on others,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I've got to say, they look pretty good on you.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57'Dean Parry has to be one of the friendliest fishermen I've met,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01'and has fished the waters off Aberystwyth all his life.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'He owns one of only 500 fishing boats that make up the Welsh Fleet.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Is it worth going out or shall we go straight to a nightclub?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14At the height of summer,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Britain's coastline is busy with small fishing boats.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22The warmer waters bring dozens of new species to our shores.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Mackerel and sea bass come to chase the small fish
0:12:25 > 0:12:27breeding in the shallows.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Lobsters and crab move inshore from their winter hideouts.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36But in recent years, Dean has started fishing for a new visitor.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39And I'm joining him today to help out.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- Ah, so, this is the boat? - This is the Boy Scott.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43The Boy Scott?
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- This is my little lady.- Excellent.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- And that's Daniel, there, my assistant.- Hi, Dan, all right?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- It's a proper looking fishing boat, isn't it?- It is.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51It is a proper fishing boat.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Start the engine then, Dan, let's go for it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Despite having grown up on the coast,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I still get a buzz of excitement every time I go out to sea.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05You never know what you might come across.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08There you go.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Oh, he's right here, wow!
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Oh, they're playing.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Two seconds out of harbour and I've just seen one.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Oh, there he is, there he is, there he is!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'But for Dean and Daniel it's a chance to prepare the boat
0:13:22 > 0:13:24'for their new catch.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:27We have prawns in the winter,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but this time of year, now, late summer,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33our money is made on spiders.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Spider crabs are summer visitors,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38they live in deep water during winter,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40but come inshore to breed as the water warms.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- The fishery has changed here totally.- Yeah.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46In the last five, or maybe ten years.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48At one time it was just lobster,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51there was lobsters, more lobsters and more lobsters.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Really? What, and there were no spider crabs then?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It was, I remember as a young lad, my father catching one
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and he just didn't know what to do with it.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Normally, they come in the second, or maybe the third week in May.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05When they come in, if you went diving here now,
0:14:05 > 0:14:10you'd find one or two females and a mound of males on top of them,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and they're like little pyramids, all on the sea bottom everywhere.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14- Really?- Oh, yeah. It's incredible.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18I guess now, in this short window, is quite an intense time for you?
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Yeah, it won't be out of the ordinary for me to do a 14 hour day,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and to do it seven days on the trot.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30It's a short season, so we've got to make the most of it as we can.
0:14:30 > 0:14:3540 years ago, it was rare to see spider crabs in Aberystwyth,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38but Dean thinks climate change has made our water warmer,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and this has attracted the giant crabs.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46My first job is to catch the buoy attached to the end of their net.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Yay!
0:14:52 > 0:14:53Have you got it?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Yeah, got it.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Here you go.- That's it.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Watch your fingers.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Yeah.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09It's quite exciting looking down into the depths below,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11not sure what's going to be hauled up.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Here it comes!
0:15:16 > 0:15:18'Dean catches spider crabs in tangle nets,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'creating a mesh wall on the sea floor that traps the roaming crabs.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:27It's quite hard work, especially when you get a big one
0:15:27 > 0:15:29and they're a bit feisty.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34I would not want to be on the receiving end of a fight
0:15:34 > 0:15:36with some of these claws.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Have you ever had any nasty nicks?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Yeah, ha-ha, of course I have, it's all part of the job.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46If one does bite you, the only thing you can do is wait.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Yeah, what, for them to let go?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Yeah, he'll hold you, he'll squeeze you,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52if you don't react, he'll just let go.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54It will hurt, but he'll just let go.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Oh, we've got one trying to escape.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59He's off, he is, chuck him in the water there, make him happy.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02He's got his own, personal swimming pool now, see?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'Although the nets give Dean a bigger catch,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08'there is the risk that other marine life can get caught up too.'
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Oh, wow, what is it?
0:16:13 > 0:16:15An angel shark,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17or down south they call them buffoons.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Look at him, he's beautiful, isn't he?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22We'll be nice to him, and take him out and let him go.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- Yeah, put him back.- He'll be fine.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Do you want to kiss him before I put him back in?
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Yeah, I'm going to go in with him. SHE LAUGHS
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Oh, off he goes.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Oh, he's fine.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Where's the best bit of meat on these?
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The best meat on the males is in the claws,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I mean, look, even the legs, there's a lot of meat in there.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And there's also inside the clock there, there's a lot of white meat.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54With the females it's all in the head,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57there is very little claw on it.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- This is a female, isn't it? - Yeah, that's a female.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03So, I mean, on a general scale, is this one, is this a big male?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06This is a big male, it's about average for the,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08we get them up to about 3.2 kilo,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and this is about, I should imagine, about two and three-quarter kilo.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- OK.- So this is getting to the realms of big.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17You can feel how strong he is as well.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I mean, you can see, that's over three foot there.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- They're beautiful, aren't they? - Look at those claws. Yeah, lovely.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Beautiful crabs.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27You won't get better than that anywhere in the world.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29By fishing for crabs on this small scale,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Dean is playing a vital role in balancing his own impact
0:17:33 > 0:17:35on the ocean ecosystem.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38What spiders do, for this bay in particular,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41it eases down on the lobsters,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43it eases down on the brown crab.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Because without them, without the spider,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47we'd have to fish more for them,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49so it gives them a break, it makes our lives easier,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and if we have a good three months,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- then we can forget about the lobsters altogether.- Yeah.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Because you can earn good money,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58you've got to do the hours, you've got to do the work,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00you've got to do six months' hours in three months.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02But you can earn good money out of it.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06But I was amazed to learn hardly any of these crabs stay in Britain,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09over 80% are exported to France and Spain,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12where they're a real delicacy.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14In Wales, we're not used to spiders,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and people haven't been too keen to try them.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So, Dean depends on the continent for high prices.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22How much are these worth, then?
0:18:22 > 0:18:27A good crab, that sized crab, that's probably about, um, two kilo,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30so that's worth, to us, about four pound.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Some of these big ones are worth about six pound each.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Which is as much, if not more, than the lobster.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36Really?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Yeah, so we need to look after them now,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40because they're going to go up in price.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43They're not going to go down in price, they're going to go up in price,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and every year we're getting more money for them.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We're flaking the net before it goes back out.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Getting rid of any bits of seaweed, oops...
0:19:07 > 0:19:10..or any remnants of anything that's left behind.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Every time we bring a net in we've got to reflake it.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Every net has got to go in the water clear and clean.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Otherwise you're cutting down on your chance of catching fish.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22They don't last long, a spider net,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25if you're lucky, you'll get about eight weeks out of it.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Eight weeks fishing and then they're ready for the bin.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31It's a lot of work every year.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'Dean's fish merchant only comes once a week,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39'so he stores his daily catch in an underwater keep.'
0:19:41 > 0:19:46So, essentially, like a living larder full of crabs.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47On three.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49It's going to go up that way now.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50One, two, three.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Ah.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56- They're in.- All done.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12The end of another long day.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- That's it, game over. - It's been lovely, I've got to say.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17I've enjoyed your company immensely.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Oh, thanks for taking me out.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- Oh.- It's been lovely.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22Thank you.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24If you ever want a job, let me know.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- See you, guys, see you, Dan.- Bye.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Take care, all the best.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32The more I travel through Wales,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36the more I'm learning about what controls the changing seasons.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40If the ocean currents dictate summer life on the coast,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43there is a different story inland.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46The sun heats the fields and mountains,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49causing pockets of hot air to rise,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and create strong air currents.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54In places like the Black Mountains,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57this can mean dramatic local weather conditions.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04And the best way to experience them is to get in amongst them.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05- Martin.- Hi.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06- How are you?- Very well.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- It's not too windy? - No, we'll be fine.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- Are you sure?- Absolutely, we'll have a good time.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11OK, I'm trusting you.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'I am absolutely terrified of flying.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21'And the thought of going up in a plane with no engine
0:21:21 > 0:21:22'makes even less sense.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:26There is still a small part of me that is secretly thinking,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29maybe it'll be too rainy and we won't be able to go.
0:21:29 > 0:21:35'But the crew have told me it's an important part of understanding summer weather.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38'So, I'm depending on Martin to calm my nerves.'
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Um, and before we go, um,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44what we're going to do is put you into the parachute.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Parachute?
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Yes, before you get alarmed...
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Oh, no, I thought you said it was safe.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52..Gliding is a very, very safe sport.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- If you want to put your left arm through there.- Like a rucksack.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It's just literally like a rucksack.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- That's it, OK?- Yeah.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04And you pull it as hard and as far as you can like that,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and if you just do it with both arms.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- What, like that?- And then pull it.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- And then pull across?- Exactly.- OK.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11There'll be a pregnant pause,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and then the parachute itself will inflate,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and then we'll pick you up somewhere over Hereford.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Well, that's a different way of doing it, that's fine.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I've got long legs, you see, it's tricky with long legs.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32My heart is about here right now.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36OK, overhead canopy.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41OK, so, our wings are being held level for us.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And tow plane's now moving forward to take the slack out of the rope.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46OK, are you ready to go?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Yeah. Thank you.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Here we go then.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52You'll feel a few lumps and bumps as we trundle across the grass.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Slowly accelerating behind the tow plane.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57We're going to be airborne any second,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58here we go.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01That's it, that's as noisy as it's going to get.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04That noise you can hear is just the wheel rotating.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09You'll feel lumps and bumps as we come over the edge of the runway here,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11and up we go.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22So, can he hear us, the plane in front?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24He can do if I talk to him on the radio, yes.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- And then we decide when to let go? - Absolutely.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42So, we're now free, free falling.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46That's it, we're now free of the tow plane completely.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I'm definitely out of my comfort zone.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Well, you'll be pleased to hear, I'm very much in my comfort zone.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Good, well, I am happy.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'Gliders stay airborne by finding rising air.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02'In the summer months,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04'this can be created by the sun heating the ground,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08'which, in turn, heats the air above it.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09'The hot air rises,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13'creating thermal currents that keep the glider off the ground.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16'Martin's challenge is to find these currents
0:24:16 > 0:24:20'so that we keep going up rather than down.'
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So, what are these clouds telling you around us now?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Well, if you look round to your right here,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29you see how the cloud's being formed by the rising air,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and they're our markers as to where we think rising air might be.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36To be a successful glider pilot you really do have to understand the weather.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It's just like sailing, exactly the same thing,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42you're at one with the weather, you have to understand what it's doing.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53'In the summer, gliders can travel hundreds of kilometres
0:24:53 > 0:24:55'by flying from one thermal to another.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00'Every time they reach a column of rising air, they soar upwards.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01'And then glide down,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05'searching for the next thermal to give them more lift.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:09It's a great way of using nature, isn't it?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It's free energy just gliding us around.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14So, this is your playground, isn't it?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16This is absolutely our playground round here.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'The longest flight in Britain covered a thousand kilometres
0:25:21 > 0:25:22'in a single day.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- You see we've now gone into a gap? - Yes.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30No cloud at all, lots of cloud to our right,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32lots of cloud to our left, but nothing in between.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Have you noticed it was beeping at us?
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Yes.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39That's because we've got some rising air here now.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42'But just as I'm starting to get comfortable,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'the weather begins to close in.'
0:25:44 > 0:25:48It might just get a little lumpy and bumpy as we cross this bit here.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53'Martin has to take me over the mountains before we land.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56'These high ridges force the air upwards,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01'creating a rush of wind that pummels our glider.'
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Wind's coming right from behind us at the moment,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07so, we're crossing the ground probably about 80 miles an hour at the moment.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Woo, ooh.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Oh, nothing to worry about there.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Ooh.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- Are you OK with that?- Yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Mmm, it's really...
0:26:20 > 0:26:23..can really feel yourself getting bounced around.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Yes, it is a little bit bumpy.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29There's a really quite strong lift now, which is really good.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31But it is going to be a bit bumpy.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Gosh, I am a bit scared.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It'll be OK.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Oh.- What we'll do is, we'll just fly out this way,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43and we'll just get clear of the mountains.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47'Martin seems perfectly calm, but I am petrified.'
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- So, you're going to hear a bit of a clunking noise.- OK.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Here we go, that's it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- OK.- Nothing too drastic.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Ooh, air brakes are on.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58We'll be landing over those white dots,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- can you see the white dots at the end of the airfield?- I can, yes.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03So, that's where we're going to be landing.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And down we come.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Coming in to land.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Here we go.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Here we go. So, I'll just gently raise the nose.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Woah.- Whee! Oopsie daisy.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Woah!
0:27:18 > 0:27:19Oh!
0:27:24 > 0:27:26That's the best bit, landing.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27Ha-ha!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Ah, back on terra firma,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I'm glad I had not very much for breakfast this morning
0:27:38 > 0:27:42cos I think it wouldn't still be in my stomach if I had.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49My day of gliding is one of the last days of summer,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52the weather is already beginning to turn,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and the colours of autumn are creeping across the landscape.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02But these last months have shown me Wales in all its glory.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05This is the season when the energy from the sun
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and the sea transform our country.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And as the seasons begin to change once again,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14I can see the fruits of summer's growth in the fields and hedgerows.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18The prospect of autumn already has me licking my lips.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Next time, I return to Gareth's farm
0:28:23 > 0:28:25for the round up of a hundred wild ponies.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Andrew takes me foraging in the fields of the Gower,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33I'm initiated in the ancient art of horse logging,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and catch one of Wales' great natural events.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd