0:00:02 > 0:00:04Autumn has arrived in Wales.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08The days are shortening and the sun sits lower in the sky.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10For most of us,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14the slow preparations for winter are underway.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But for those who still live by the seasons,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20this is when things really come alive.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26I'm Renee Godfrey,
0:00:26 > 0:00:31and as a surfer, my life has always been controlled by the seasons.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32In 2011, I want to find out
0:00:32 > 0:00:38what these seasons mean to the people of Wales.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40In the coming months,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I'll be exploring the lives of those people thriving in autumn.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45HE SHOUTS: Keep going! Keep going!
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'I want to learn the do's and don'ts of autumn foraging.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:51- Pull it like that. - That looks horrible!
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Left, left!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'And take the reins for some horse logging
0:00:55 > 0:00:58- 'with Wales' most flatulent horse.' - HORSE BREAKS WIND
0:00:58 > 0:01:00- Pardon you, Kip! - THEY LAUGH
0:01:00 > 0:01:02That is protest to work, isn't it?!'
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'Now is the time when nature is in full glory.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'And for the people that live off the land,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'a chance to enjoy the year's great harvest.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:17TREE CRACKS
0:01:24 > 0:01:27It's November in North Wales.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31I've been visiting Gareth Wyn Jones' family farm
0:01:31 > 0:01:33in the Caernarfon Mountains since the spring.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36The arrival of autumn has brought the sheep down off the hills
0:01:36 > 0:01:38to the warmth of the valleys below.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And with the mountains now free of livestock,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48a very different beast is taking to the slopes.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53ENGINES ROAR
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Since I first met Gareth, ten months ago,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03we've been talking about this day constantly in a really excited way.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And all the local guys have started to arrive now
0:02:06 > 0:02:09on their quad bikes and dirt bikes, ready to march out
0:02:09 > 0:02:13across 5,000 acres of the mountain area round here
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and gather in, somehow, all the wild ponies.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23In the hills behind Gareth's farm live Wales' largest population
0:02:23 > 0:02:24of wild mountain ponies.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27They've survived here for thousands of years,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and the last remaining animals are now managed by the local farmers.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36Each autumn, they're gathered in to check on the health of the herd.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40It's important to get the male foals off and the old mares,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43because the male foals will be in-breeding with their mothers
0:02:43 > 0:02:44and we don't want that.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47We've got to take them, and we've got to take the old mares,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49because it's not fair for them to be dying here over the winter.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52So it is a management place, but you've got to remember,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54they're only gathered once a year. It's the only time
0:02:54 > 0:02:57they're going to have any human contact in a whole twelve months.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00The mountains are common grazing land,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03so the round-up brings together all the farmers
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and their friends who keep livestock here in the summer.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Lads! Come on! Pull round, go on!
0:03:09 > 0:03:12You're on the council now! HE LAUGHS
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Who's going down the Conwy?
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Mark? Geth? Yeah?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Come on then, lads. Let's go and get some wild ponies.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27These boys mean serious business.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29They've got spare fuel in their quads,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31they've got bottles of fuel in their rucksacks,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33they've got changes of clothes,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36and they're all bombing off now to start gathering them all in.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37It is seriously exciting.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43In the 19th Century, there were over 1,000 ponies on the mountain.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47They were an important part of the local economy,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50as farmers traded them with mining companies and other local industries.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Gareth's family's been involved in the round-up for generations,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and everyone still has a role to play.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- You'll be on this ravine here, on the edge.- OK.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01On the bottom here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- And you'll be running up and down, turning these ponies.- Yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I don't want to be seeing you standing there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09So I've got to try and run as fast as the horses?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Faster. But you've got to use your head.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- OK.- OK? So you've got to be quite a bit in front of them,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16- making a lot of noise.- Yeah.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Usually it would be enough to turn them.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- If they're still coming, then you face them and come into them.- OK.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26As the quad bikes head off, an army of helpers sit tight,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30waiting to channel the first wave of ponies down the hill.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42ENGINE ROARS
0:04:50 > 0:04:54GARETH YELLS
0:04:56 > 0:04:59I've got to get up to this stone area here,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01so hopefully I can just kind of signpost
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and stop the horses going too far over this way.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06But there's about 20 coming.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I've just seen about five or six pour off the side of the mountain.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11There's another 20 on their way.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Gareth has given me the job of guarding the ridge,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19trying to stop the ponies galloping back into the hills.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I can see some on the hill here.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26I'm now heading in the wrong direction.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's hard because I can't keep up with them because they run so fast!
0:05:29 > 0:05:32There! There! There!
0:05:32 > 0:05:34RENEE PANTS
0:05:34 > 0:05:36But another group has broken free,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and is heading out through a gap in the line.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41SHE YELLS
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- No, go this way! - SHE YELLS
0:05:48 > 0:05:50(GARETH SHOUTS) This side again!
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Keep going! Keep going!
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Gareth swoops in to the rescue, and turns them down the hill.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- HE LAUGHS - Good one!
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- I'm knackered! - You're tired?! You're on that!
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I'll tell you one thing, look at the sweat on me!
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It's hard work going up and down those sides!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16When you just shouted then, "Keep going!"
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I felt like I had to run up some travelator.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- My knees were going numb. - Good job!- Oh, God!
0:06:22 > 0:06:23Good job! Brilliant.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Right, we're going to get on now. We can't stand about again.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- OK.- Head to this way now.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- Yeah.- The majority of them...look, there's some turning back here.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34I'll give these a turn.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37You go on to that next bit there and you'll see down.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39We're on the plateau then. I need you there.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- Come on, let's rock and roll! - That nearly killed me!
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It takes the farmers three days
0:06:49 > 0:06:52to round up all 200 ponies off the mountain.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- Go on! - SHE WHISTLES
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Where do you want them to go?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03That way?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's really exhausting, and we have to work as a tight unit
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- to prevent any ponies from escaping. - SHE YELLS
0:07:13 > 0:07:15After a full day, the groups are coming together
0:07:15 > 0:07:19on a wall at the base of the mountain.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20It's like a sea!
0:07:20 > 0:07:23A sea of ponies, all pouring off the side of the mountain!
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's absolutely beautiful!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29They're just galloping along!
0:07:40 > 0:07:43For many of these young horses,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48this will be the first human contact they've had.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52This is the last truly wild mountain herd in Britain.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Oh, that is a fantastic sight!
0:07:56 > 0:07:57- Wild West...- Oh, my God!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- ..of North Wales!- That is crazy!
0:08:04 > 0:08:06As the ponies head down the mountain,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10the farmers close in, corralling them towards a neighbour's farm.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15All the ponies are owned by different farmers,
0:08:15 > 0:08:20and their tails are cut each year to show they've been gathered.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21- Well, you see this red one here? - Yeah.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23He's got a very, very long tail.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- Does that mean he hasn't been in for ages?- He's never been in, I'd say.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Cos he's no ear mark or anything on him.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So the ones with the shorter tails you can tell...
0:08:30 > 0:08:32They were in last year.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Each old mare has their own distinct ear markings,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and the farmers have to separate out the families to find out
0:08:38 > 0:08:40which pony belongs to which farmer.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- These are ours, are they? - Yes. They're yours now.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Oh, good. Right, mine!
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- You can take 'em home tonight. - SHE LAUGHS
0:08:49 > 0:08:53In the corral, the young stallions and old mares are separated.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The stallions will be moved to a special conservation farm,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01whilst the old mares, who wouldn't survive another winter,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05will live out their last days in the valley's rich pastures.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11These ponies are now so rare that the farmers are
0:09:11 > 0:09:14involved in a project to map their DNA.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17PONIES NEIGH
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Today, a scientist from Liverpool University
0:09:19 > 0:09:21is collecting hair samples.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25What is it you're looking for? The very tips?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28The hair cells. Right at the very tip, these are the root cells.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- You can just see the white bits at the end.- Yeah.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34So I only need about ten of these per pony,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and then you can extract the DNA and analyse it and get the pedigree.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41By analysing the genetic make-up of each pony,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44they can measure the health of the herd
0:09:44 > 0:09:45and ensure that in-breeding
0:09:45 > 0:09:49doesn't damage the future of this unique species.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59This is just traditional farming that you'll see nowhere else.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01This is how it was done years and years and years ago.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04These have been up there since the Celts.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You're talking about thousands of years.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Because nobody knows about these ponies.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14They've never had rare breed status. Nobody wants to know about them.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17But they are very important for us as a community.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19HE LAUGHS
0:10:19 > 0:10:23It's been a real privilege to see these ponies up close.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Their lives rest in the hands of these farmers, whose own future,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31like that of the ponies, is so closely connected to the mountains.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40RADIO: 'We're in for another warm day, but compared with yesterday,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'we've got a little bit more in the way of cloud,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'especially the further West you are.'
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Autumn in Wales is a real time of plenty.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50And for my old friend, Andrew Price,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52it's a chance to raid nature's larder
0:10:52 > 0:10:54on the Gower Peninsula.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- Hi, Ren!- Good to see you!
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Ah! You all right?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Yes, absolutely! So what's the plan?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well, you told me we've got an autumnal challenge, have we?
0:11:03 > 0:11:05We have, exactly! Autumn is the time of harvest,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07so it's the time when everything is ripened
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and it's at its best for harvesting. So what we'll do is try
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and make a three course meal using mostly what we can find in the wild.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- HE KICKS METAL - Oops!
0:11:17 > 0:11:21There are a staggering 314 edible species of plant in the UK.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26For thousands of years, they were a big part of our diet
0:11:26 > 0:11:31and also vital ingredients in some of our traditional medicines.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And whilst I've had some experience of woodland plants,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Andrew starts me off WAY outside my comfort zone.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- Oh, nice!- What is that? - So that's a puffball.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I mean, to me, I can see it's a mushroom,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47but it's not the normal shape that I would expect a mushroom to be,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- in that it doesn't have a stalk. - Sure.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51That's a common puffball,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54which is a pretty distinctive species of fungi
0:11:54 > 0:11:56which is fairly easy to identify.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58But one danger you do have with these is they can look
0:11:58 > 0:12:01quite similar to poisonous mushrooms in their juvenile state.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03So you've got to be really careful,
0:12:03 > 0:12:04and if you've got the slightest doubt
0:12:04 > 0:12:06that you've got an edible mushroom,
0:12:06 > 0:12:07then it's best to just leave it alone.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Hey, look at this one. It's a bit squidgier than the other ones.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- It is. And yet, if you just... - Oh, wow!
0:12:14 > 0:12:17..if you pull it like that, it's pretty disgusting inside, isn't it?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- Oh, that looks horrible!- Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23When they've gone full-term, they start to fill up with spores.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26So they're not really worth eating then.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28But the spores have antiseptic properties,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30so they've been used in the past as wound dressings
0:12:30 > 0:12:31- Really?- Yeah.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33That's great, isn't it?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'Mushrooms are a great treasure of autumn foraging,
0:12:36 > 0:12:41'but only 50 of the 2,000 species we have in Wales are edible.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46'They need the ground to have warmed up over the summer to emerge,
0:12:46 > 0:12:51'and they thrive in the damp, autumn conditions.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Ooh! Look at these ones!
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Oh, well spotted, Ren! That's fantastic!
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Oh, wow! Do you know, I've seen these so many times
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and I'm never confident enough to pick them.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05I'm just never entirely sure whether they're edible or not.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06- No, those are beauties! - What are they?
0:13:06 > 0:13:10These are parasol mushrooms, which are fantastic eating. Really good.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- And they can grow, you know, maybe five times that size.- Wow!
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- You can find some absolutely massive ones around.- Gosh!
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Yeah, really good. - So can we pick these and take them?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Yeah, I think we definitely should.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Now THAT is a proper-looking mushroom!- That is lovely.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Now the indicator with these is the colour
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and also that this ring here
0:13:28 > 0:13:30should move freely up and down the stem there.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Brilliant. Well done!
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- Well spotted, Ren!- Yeah!
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'Around every corner, we find new treats.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42'Andrew's wealth of knowledge allows him to put together
0:13:42 > 0:13:45'a different course at each location we visit.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49'And he thinks the sea shore is where we'll find our salad.'
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- It's marshy here, isn't it?- It is.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It's a perfect environment, and there's loads of it around.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55It's marsh samphire.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57And if you look at it,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59it's got a bit of a red colour to it at the moment.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- Oh, yeah! They call this poor man's asparagus, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- Or sea asparagus, some people call it.- OK.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07It's actually past its best, but it still tastes OK.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09It should be a vibrant green colour.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- It's going a little bit red. - It tastes all right.- Yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It's become quite popular, hasn't it, in shi-shi restaurants?
0:14:15 > 0:14:20- Yeah, and they charge an arm and a leg and it grows everywhere. - It's free here!- Exactly.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24With brimming pots, we head to the wood to collect pudding,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27only to stumble on a tasty surprise.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Oh, here we go. This is sea purslane, which is fantastic.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Gosh, a sea purslane? I've never heard of it.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Green. It's lovely stuff.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- I prefer eating this to marsh samphire...- Really?
0:14:38 > 0:14:41..despite the fact that you don't sell it in any restaurants.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- It's not very commonly used. But it tastes delicious.- Just eat it raw?
0:14:44 > 0:14:48You can eat it raw or just lightly steamed. Really very tasty.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- That's actually lovely.- Mm.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54It's a bit like samphire, kind of salty, crunchy, juicy.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'Autumn has always been an important time of year,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03'a last chance to stock up on all the fruits that would see you through the winter.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08'And the craft of preserving them is once again growing in popularity.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:13So what is your sloe gin-making technique?
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- I'd normally get a litre bottle... - Yeah.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Put about a quarter full of sloes.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- OK.- About 400 grams of sugar. - Yeah.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24And then top it off with gin and just keep shaking it every day until it all dissolved.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Leave it for a while, normally at least three months,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and you end up with the most delicious drink.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Yum. They look like big, juicy blackcurrants,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34but that really isn't how they taste at all.
0:15:36 > 0:15:42They're actually really bitter, kind of like a very unripe plum.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But you can get rid of a lot of that bitterness and that tannin
0:15:45 > 0:15:48by bruising them and letting them dry out.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50They become a little bit more edible then.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01With our free food gathering done, we head back to camp for a cook up.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06And in keeping with the day, Andrew sparks up a fire, bushcraft style.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11Two trout appear from his rucksack as the sun sets behind the trees.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16It's really interesting, you know. We've been out foraging all day,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19got a table full of food there that we've gathered,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and you just realise that actually we're surrounded by a living larder.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's really easy to forget that when you buy your food from shops
0:16:25 > 0:16:29where everything's readily available and you can get blackberries in the summer
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and in the springtime,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and nothing really has its season. But actually, when you come out
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and you really get amongst it in nature,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40you realise that there's certain timing for certain things.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44And it makes you appreciate them more, actually.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- Some greens, Mr Price?- Why not. - Look at that, look at that.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Ah, this is the perfect end to a great day, Andrew. Thank you.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53Oh, it's a pleasure.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Look at what we've got, an absolute feast.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Muddy, sandy and smelling of wood smoke,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02it was one of the best meals of the year.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Autumn rolls into November.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Turning leaves transform our woodlands,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and as the greens of summer fade into the browns of autumn,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17I'm off to explore another type of harvest that's beginning in the woods.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27The ancient art of horse logging
0:17:27 > 0:17:30has remained largely unchanged for centuries.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- Hi, morning.- Morning, how are you? - I'm very well, thanks. And you?
0:17:40 > 0:17:41'Kate Mobbs-Morgan, with her horse Kip,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44'runs one of Wales's busiest horse logging companies.'
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Just shove his bum around.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- Quite a bum to shove around. - It sure is!
0:17:53 > 0:17:56'With a simple trailer and a lot of horsepower,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59'they shift hundreds of tonnes of timber
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'out of the forests throughout the autumn.'
0:18:01 > 0:18:02The collar goes on first.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- Yeah.- We'll put the main harness on that goes around that.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09We're coming into our busiest time of year.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12September to March is the traditional time for this type of work.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15We're not disturbing ground-nesting birds at this time of year.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Everyone's finished nesting and we can come in without disturbing anyone.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25In the 1950s, there were more than 400 horses working in British forests.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Tough men and even tougher horses
0:18:28 > 0:18:32dragged millions of trees to our busy sawmills.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36But as tractors took over the forest, horse logging declined.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43It survived only in forests that were too inaccessible for the big machines to enter.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49And the success of a horse logger, as I was about to find out,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54depended on that close bond between horse and human.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Right, if I give you these for a moment, I'll pop him into the arch.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- Thank you. - Good boy. Nice and steady, love.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Here's hoping he doesn't bolt while I'm holding on.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- Right, we're ready to go.- OK. - The command for forward is "walk on,"
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- so if you give him a little tap and ask him to walk forward.- Walk on.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12- It works.- It does.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16And if you give the command at the same time as pushing on the pressure...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- OK.- What are my commands other than "walk on"?
0:19:18 > 0:19:23- What you need to know today is "come over," for left.- Yep.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- "Get away" will take him right.- OK. - "Steady, whoa" to stop.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31- And he will come back, he will reverse if you use "back."- OK.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36Horse logging is undergoing a small revival at the moment.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Its lightweight machinery causes much less damage in the autumn woodland.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46People are beginning to realise all over again
0:19:46 > 0:19:49that environmentally that we make a lot less impact,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- we can work in much smaller spaces, so we don't need to fell so much timber.- Yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56If you're going into a woodland with a big bit of machinery,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58you've got to cut a wide track for the machine to get in,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02a big turning space for them to be able to manoeuvre.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05With the horses, you can leave more of the crop in the woodland
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and just work through in a much smaller space.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13'But today Kate is working in a densely planted coniferous forest.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17'The trees are so close together that only a horse can get in here.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'And she's given the reins to me.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- Good boy.- Steady. Steady. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Step over. Good boy. Good boy.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Stop him there. Whoa.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- Steady.- Steady. Nice and gentle.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Nice and steady.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Nice and steady, love. Nice and steady, mate. Good boy.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Nice and steady. Whoa-hoa. Steady. Steady. Nice and gentle.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51- That is absolutely spot-on.- Is that OK?- That's perfect. Yes, well done.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53RENEE SIGHS, KATE LAUGHS
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I should have had some L-plates issued this morning.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I think so, but once you do another 20 tonnes, you'll be absolutely fine.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- Stand there, love.- Stand.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It's quite full-on, isn't it?
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I was ready for a nice relax in the forest.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I'm looking at the leaves and suddenly you have to really zone in
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- and think about what you're doing, haven't you?- Yes, you do.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- It's less work for everybody if you can be quite precise.- Good boy.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Good boy. Nice and slowly.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Steady, love, steady.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28'Now, leading a horse with 200kg of tree dragging behind it
0:21:28 > 0:21:31'is quite a different prospect than when Kip was on his own.'
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- If you want to jump over to this side of the timber...- Yep.- That's it.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39- Then you won't bash your ankles as we turn around.- Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Come right over. Come over, love. Sorry. Go on.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- We're stuck.- You can do it. Good boy. Good boy.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Keeping those two trees on your... That's it.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53Keep him tight to the left. That's it. Left. Left. Whoa! Whoa!
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I'm going to take the lines for a minute. Whoa!
0:21:56 > 0:22:00- Sorry, Renee.- That's OK.- Come right over, love. Come right over, love.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01Now stand there. Stand there.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- OK.- Come over. Whoa-hoa.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11OK, you need to be really aware of what's going wrong. What's going on.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15- If you try and turn it too tight then it can...- It can jackknife.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Yep.- Which is what I nearly just did.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- I've got a bit of a sweat on! - RENEE LAUGHS
0:22:20 > 0:22:24'Many logging horses weigh close to a tonne
0:22:24 > 0:22:28'but they're often able to lift and drag almost twice their own weight
0:22:28 > 0:22:31'and when an experienced logger like Kate is working fast
0:22:31 > 0:22:34'she can move over 50 logs in a day.'
0:22:34 > 0:22:40Good boy! Good lad. Whoa-hoa! Stand there. And back. Perfect.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Well done, love.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's a really special relationship that Kate's got with Kip.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48She's brought him up from when he was a tiny foal
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and he just really knows her voice
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and they can almost kind of read each other's minds.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It's extraordinary. There's me trying to direct him along,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01which is all well and good and I can kind of do it a little bit
0:23:01 > 0:23:03but nothing quite like what she's doing.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Good boy.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'Whilst horse logging will never replace industrial machinery
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'in the forests, it's fantastic to see it thriving
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'and the benefits it brings to the autumn woodland.'
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'Autumn's nearly over.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28'I'm heading south for one last chance to witness a magical event
0:23:28 > 0:23:32'that brings alive a unique part of the autumn landscape.'
0:23:36 > 0:23:39This time of year we are surrounded by all different signs
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and colours of autumn and it's not just on the ground
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and in the hedges and the treetops that we can see the signs of autumn.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51There's something really special that goes on above our heads.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54'I'm at the Newport Wetlands Centre on the Gwent Levels.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57'438 hectares of marshes
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'and reed beds stretch out towards the River Severn.'
0:24:00 > 0:24:01Kevin.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05'Kevin Dupe has been in charge here for the last two years
0:24:05 > 0:24:10'and he's invited me to glimpse a special local spectacle.'
0:24:11 > 0:24:13What kind of thing can we expect to see this time of year?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17In the autumn, one of the wildlife spectacles you can see in Britain
0:24:17 > 0:24:19is the big starling roosts,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and they gather together just before dusk
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and fly around in these big formations
0:24:23 > 0:24:25before they go down for the night.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27OK, and what kind of numbers are we talking?
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Well, we've had about 55,000 here in the last few weeks,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33so hopefully you might see them tonight.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35The reed beds provide a rich source of food
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and protection for the visiting birds.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41So eyes to the skies,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44just waiting in anticipation for what's going to happen.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Any minute now we should start seeing the first few starlings gathering.
0:24:50 > 0:24:57They're arriving back here from a 30-mile radius all around this area.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The first group of starlings have arrived.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07There's about 30 of them in one little mini-cloud,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09just kind of dancing around.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12So hopefully that'll be the signal for more to arrive.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24There's more and more arriving all the time. More groups.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It's brilliant watching them twist and turn and dance
0:25:30 > 0:25:33in perfect acrobatic formation.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Ah, look at that!
0:25:54 > 0:25:58These gatherings of starlings are called murmurations.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03Like giant shoals of fish, they're constantly changing shape,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06twisting and turning in the evening sky.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09They do this to protect themselves from predators.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13It's much harder for a peregrine falcon to isolate a single bird
0:26:13 > 0:26:17when they're flying in such tight formation.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19And their shape is constantly shifting.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22They're all constantly in a nervous state of energy,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24trying to get into the middle.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Like other swarms,
0:26:27 > 0:26:32starlings do this by watching birds right next to them.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Studies have shown that each starling tracks the movements
0:26:35 > 0:26:37of seven of its neighbours at a time.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39By monitoring these birds,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43the flock is able to maintain itself as a cohesive force.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50We have starlings in the UK all year round,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52but not in these sorts of numbers.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The reason that there are so many here at the moment
0:26:55 > 0:26:57is because thousands upon thousands
0:26:57 > 0:26:59have been forced over from Eastern Europe,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01looking for a warmer place to spend the winter
0:27:01 > 0:27:02and more available food,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05but they're not going to hang around here for too long
0:27:05 > 0:27:07because just as it starts to get a bit colder
0:27:07 > 0:27:11here in South Wales, they'll start to head further south again.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27It just is one of the most incredible things
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I think I've ever, ever seen.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35It's partly this area's protected status that encourages
0:27:35 > 0:27:37this acrobatic show.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40If this reserve was lost there is a high chance
0:27:40 > 0:27:44that these starlings would move elsewhere for their murmuration.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01That's it, they've gone.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Like that, it's over.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10My journey this autumn has taken me to places where landscape,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14wildlife and the seasons come together for moments of real beauty.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16GUNSHOTS
0:28:16 > 0:28:19'Next time I head back up to Gareth's farm
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'to join his winter pheasant shoot.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'I'll be working with the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'in one of their busiest seasons.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Thank you.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30'I'll join the outdoor swimming society for a winter dip.' Ohh, good Lord!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'And help out at Aberglasny House
0:28:33 > 0:28:35'as they deal with a particularly mild winter.'
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd