Episode 1 Extreme Wales with Richard Parks

My name is Richard Parks,

and when injury ended my rugby career,

it opened a new door to a new chapter in my life -

creating world-first expeditions

in the most extreme environments on our planet.

After being capped for Wales,

I became an extreme environment athlete.

I've summited Everest and I've skied to both poles.

What I've discovered is that some of the best adventures

can be had right here on my own doorstep.

2016 is the Welsh Year of Adventure,

so I'm taking on three very different challenges.

I'll be running and kayaking along one of the longest rivers in Wales

and climbing to the deepest point in the deepest cave in Britain.

This time, I'm creating a new Welsh cycle route.

From the gap in the Brecon Beacons,

I've got just four days to cover 165 miles

north to the summit of Snowdon

in what will become the highest cycle route in Wales.

This is The Gap in the Brecon Beacons.

Used as a training ground for the SAS,

it's also home to the Welsh Mountain Rescue.

They're taking me up 700 metres to the highest rideable point

in South Wales for the start of my cycling adventure.

Now, it's not very often that the Welsh Mountain Rescue guys

are tasked with actually putting somebody on a mountain,

but today they've offered to drop me off

at my starting point, just up there.

Cheers, Dave. Richard, it's an absolute pleasure.

My route takes me through the Welsh mountains

which were pushed up by a massive volcanic upheaval

some 500 million years ago.

Not too surprisingly,

Welsh Mountain Rescue have got some keen mountain bikers in their team,

so I've asked a few of the guys

to share the start of my journey with me.

Morning, guys. Hiya. Good morning. How are you doing?

Good to see you here. Nice to meet you. I almost fell over there.

Good to see you.

You're all volunteers. Yeah. Yeah.

How many rescues would you say you do a year up here?

We do about 100 a year... Wow. ..on average.

Wow. I hope you're not going to have to rescue me in the next four days.

I'm planning on not breaking anything.

The next 20 minutes is what you've got to watch out for.

OK. HE LAUGHS

Who's going to lead the way? I'm definitely not going first.

The Brecon Beacons National Park

is spread over a staggering 520 square miles.

There are more than 2,800 rights of way.

And for the cyclist, the steep, rocky terrain is ideal

for the thrill-seeking adventurer.

Although the first leg of my journey is only two miles,

with the bumps and bruises, it feels more like 20.

Oh, oh!

Happily, no Mountain Rescue needed.

Cheers, Steve.

Nice, mate. Thank you.

So, it's off to my support team to collect my next bike.

Now it's time for me to get some miles under my belt,

and that means swapping my mountain bike for my road bike.

I've got a total of four days

and now the best part of 170 miles to cover,

both on and off road.

Now, I love my mountain bike, but I'm probably a roadie at heart.

I've covered literally thousands of miles on my road bike...

so I'm always happy to put like lycras on,

although I probably wouldn't admit that.

Thanks, Sacha.

Having come down from the mountains,

I'm now moving into the beautiful Brecon Valley.

This is the lowest part of my route.

From here, it's pretty much uphill all the way.

For the next leg of my journey,

I'm catching up with an old mate of mine,

Paralympic track cycling gold medallist

and MBE Mark Colbourne.

Hey! How are you, buddy? Hey, I'm good. How are you doing?

How's it going? Good to see you. Give us a hug, man.

It's awesome to see you, mate. You OK? Yeah, really good.

You're looking really well. Cheers, mate. Thank you. Wow.

Look how fit you look. Ah, mate, you've got to go easy on me today.

The banter's started, hasn't it?

Well, looking forward to spending some time with you today.

Yeah, it'll be cool, actually. In my office.

THEY LAUGH

What is it that you love about cycling?

Obviously, I broke my back in 2009 paragliding, which...

You know, they say life begins at 40 and it certainly did for me,

thinking my life had ended, if I'm honest.

I was in a dark place.

However, thankfully, half my legs worked

and it was only that half I needed, you know,

and the opportunity then came along for London 2012

and then I just gave it 100%.

The love for me is that exhilaration,

that you're in control of the speed... Yeah.

..how fast you want to go or how slow you want to go,

and just being out in the fresh air, you know. It's lush, isn't it?

We were made to be free as human beings, you know,

and this environment makes me feel accomplished.

Shall we crack on, then? Entirely up to you, mate.

Do you promise you'll go easy on me now? I promise to go easy.

Good stuff. Oh, wheel spin already! HE LAUGHS

Showing off now. Good stuff.

Mark fell 35 feet in his accident

and was left with lower-leg paralysis.

There were fears that he might never walk again,

but just three years later at the 2012 Paralympics

he won gold in the velodrome, setting a new cycling record.

That's impressive by anyone's standards.

But obviously cycling means much more to Mark

than purely winning competitions.

I think the great thing about cycling is it gives you

that sort of mind, no mind feeling.

Yeah, it does. Yeah, exactly.

What you're doing is you're emptying your thoughts.

Yeah. But the subconsciousness is that you're taking everything in.

Yeah. I love that.

You know, imagine when you've stepped out playing for Wales,

you were so focused.

Actually I was BLEEP myself. THEY LAUGH

You wasn't, mate. You was far from it, actually.

But when you stepped onto the pitch and the game's started,

you're thinking, but you're not thinking.

You're right. And cycling is the same.

So, this is what I say to anybody that starts riding... Yeah.

..is learn the skills, but don't think about it.

Just let it happen subconsciously, you know?

Like Mark, I have a passion for cycling.

Like me, he can't help being competitive.

So, then, Richie, ready to open the engines a little bit? Yeah.

You know, you've had a great ride today

and we've a nice stretch ahead of us now,

so if you want to ramp it up a little...

Yeah. I see your point. See how long I can hang in there.

Yeah? Yeah. Wait, can I just straighten this mic out before?

Yeah. Ah! THEY LAUGH

Cheers, mate. OK? Yeah. Enjoy that? I did. Great. Brilliant.

So, where you off next then, Rich?

I'm heading up the Elan Valley now.

Fancy joining me? Well, if you're up for it.

I was hoping you were going to say "No, I don't want to go off road!"

THEY LAUGH There's life in the old dog yet.

I know there is.

Mark pulls ahead and soon leaves me, and so does the calm weather.

I'm heading into the Cambrian Mountains,

so it's back to my mountain bike and into my wet weather gear.

I've got 16 miles to go in the driving rain

before I can finally stop for a rest.

It's day two of my four-day cycling adventure.

I'm now pedalling into the heart of the spectacular Elan Valley

here in Mid Wales.

The Elan Valley sits in the Cambrian Mountains

and I have 59 miles to cover to Dolgellau

in the southern reaches of Snowdonia.

The views are just breathtaking

in this place that was shaped by Victorian ingenuity.

The six reservoirs they built

still provide more than 360 million litres of fresh water

to tens of thousands of people across Wales and England.

The rugged beauty of this environmentally-sensitive area

is being protected by Welsh Water and the Elan Valley Trust.

Around every corner there's a view that takes my breath away...

..even when the wild Welsh weather does its best to cover it up.

If the rain comes in,

I just hope we don't get winter and the snow, but it's still...

It's still absolutely beautiful.

You know,

it really is a spectacular part of the world,

and, in fact, this road that I'm cycling on now

is voted by the AA as not just

one of the most beautiful roads in Wales,

but it's ranked as one of the top ten most beautiful roads

in the whole world.

That's pretty cool.

Even though the weather's closed in, it's hard to leave this place,

but I need to push on for the next 25 miles.

I've got a 3pm appointment I can't be late for,

and I'm hoping to come face to claw

with a real icon of this part of the world.

This is Nant yr Arian,

home to the magnificent raptors I've come to meet -

the national bird of Wales, the red kite.

Once abundant, by the 1930s, these majestic birds

had been almost hunted to extinction.

They were only saved by what has become

the world's longest ever continuous conservation programme.

Gareth Owen is the man in charge of the centre.

He's been looking after the red kites for ten years.

The red kites are fed here at 3pm every day, 365 days a year.

I'm a real sort of big bird, bird of prey geek.

Oh, right. OK. I....

I've been really excited to actually spend some time with these guys.

Yeah, yeah.

The birds are fed with the offcuts from the local butcher.

With the rain and the mist, I'm hoping they can see it.

In true Welsh fashion, the mist has come in today,

but hopefully when it clears we'll get a chance to see them.

Yes, absolutely.

How big are they? Up close, I can't get my head around it at the moment.

They're quite big.

They've got a wingspan of about five foot seven,

but they've quite small bodies

so they're pretty much all feathers really. Quite light.

They're only about a bag of sugar in weight.

That's what I love about them, I think,

how they combine this majesty and grace with... Yeah.

Obviously, being a bird of prey, there's primal power as well.

It's hard to believe that they were almost extinct

not that long ago, either. Relatively not that long ago.

Yeah, persecuted almost to extinction.

The Welsh population,

as we see them today, came from that lower number.

Is it fair to say that that's the reason why

it's the national bird of Wales?

Oh, it's got to be. I think so.

I mean, as we've mentioned, they're a beautiful bird, and, yeah,

it's great the public voted

for the kite to be the national bird, definitely.

So, Gareth, help me out. What do I do here, then?

Literally just grab a pile. Yeah.

Hands in there and out it goes.

In the winter, when food is scarce,

more than 200 birds come here to feed.

However, it's now midsummer,

so typically numbers reduce to around 40.

But the fog has come in

and it may stop the birds from diving for the food.

But just when I feared I wouldn't see the birds close up...

Thank you so much, Gareth, for having me here today. Not at all.

Seeing them so close, I mean, they're just majestic.

They're wonderful, wonderful animals.

Absolutely. "Majestic" is a brilliant word to describe them.

Well, the last thing I want to do now

is get back on my bike in this weather. Fair enough.

I've still got 30 miles or so to go

so I'm going to have to shoot before all the food's gone.

Once again, though, thank you, Gareth.

Not at all. Been a pleasure. Thank you. Take care. Cheers.

I'm now well into the heart of Wales and heading north.

Nant yr Arian has some great trails,

so the cycling is about to get much more technical.

This next section is all off road so I'm leaving the crew behind,

which mean it's just the cameras I'm wearing.

I hate to say this, guys,

but I'm having much more fun on this section.

I don't think it's cos you're not here. Maybe.

This is not a good sign.

All right.

I know it's not for everyone, being soaking wet,

working hard to stay warm and in the middle of absolutely nowhere,

but for me, I absolutely love it.

Absolutely love it.

I've had a good sleep and time to take stock.

I'm now more than halfway through my trail-blazing adventure

creating the highest cycle route in Wales.

Today is going to be tough.

Quick change of clothes and I'm here to pick my trail bike up,

which has longer suspension travel.

This is because I'm at Coed-y-Brenin,

Britain's first purpose-built mountain bike trail centre.

The centre was set up and is still run

by veteran rider Sian Roberts.

In the world of two wheels and occasionally no wheels

she's a mountain biking pioneer.

You've been called the godmother of mountain biking.

I don't know if that's true. The creator of Coed-y-Brenin.

I read somewhere online that

this could actually be the first trail centre in the world,

not just in Britain. Yeah, possibly. Exactly, yeah.

A proper trail centre with a trailhead and everything.

Exactly, yeah. I love that it started in Wales. I love that.

Yeah, yeah. It's awesome. It's wicked.

This is the Tarw Du.

Now, Welsh language isn't my first language

but I know what this means. It means the black bull. Yep.

Is that what I can expect? Yeah, definitely.

A black trail. Lots of really rocky, gnarly descents. Yeah.

A couple of little, rocky, quite challenging climbs.

That's what you can expect. It'll be great fun. You'll be fine.

I love how confident you are. Great. Right, OK.

So, I'll do the first bit with you

and I'll let you go off and enjoy yourself. Wicked.

Excellent. We'll see. OK, cool.

Oh, it's awesome.

You can see why the Tarw Du gets its name.

It's certainly not for the faint-hearted.

That was awesome, Sian. Excellent.

Well, this is where I'm going to leave you.

Do you know what? It's been amazing to spend some time with you.

It's been brilliant. Thank you. Take care.

You look after yourself. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

I will.

This rugged landscape is crisscrossed with trails

that are perfect for mountain bikers.

I'd love to detour

but I've 25 miles to go before I get to my next stop-off,

so it's eyes to the north as I head deep into Snowdonia.

This is Blaenau Ffestiniog,

which was once the second largest town in North Wales.

The reason for its rapid growth

was the abundance of a natural resource - slate.

In the early 1800s,

Blaenau became home to a huge open-cast slate mining industry.

These hills are man-made,

created from millions of pieces of slate,

the unwanted waste from the mining process.

The slate boom lasted about 100 years

and the legacy of the slag hills left behind

was a bit of an unwanted eyesore for the community here.

But it's amazing what can be achieved

through the spirit of adventure and with a bit of creativity

as now it's become the perfect terrain

for another biking discipline.

Downhill.

British professional cyclist Tracy Moseley

started competing at just 13,

and in 2010 became the World Downhill Mountain Bike Champion.

Hiya, Tracy, how are you doing? Hey. Good, thanks. How are you?

I'm really good, thank you. How are you doing? Wicked.

First up, congratulations.

Thank you. I know you're current Enduro World Champion

but you're ripping the Series at the moment. Yeah.

I had another little go back at the World Series

a few weeks ago in Ireland to manage to turn up and take the win,

so that was a pretty cool way to start my season.

How did you get into downhill mountain biking, then?

So, I think I've really got my older brother Ed to thank.

He got into cross-country mountain biking at the time.

I was kind of his lazy little sister

that didn't really like having to pedal up hills

and just enjoyed the thrill and that adrenaline of downhill.

I think it's just that adrenaline rush,

that real speed, pushing yourself to the limit

and really trying to beat the terrain.

You're going to run me through my paces then?

Yeah! Definitely! Cool to go.

You need a helmet before we get going,

and then we should be good to go.

The mind's an amazing thing, cos my body is tired,

it's the end of the third big day, but I'm just buzzing.

I'm like a bottle of pop.

It's been an amazing day with two mountain-biking legends

and genuinely lovely people.

I've still got a long way to go to the top of Snowdon over there,

so I can't rest on my laurels just yet.

It's day four and the final leg of my epic cycle through Wales.

I'm heading into the heart of Snowdonia National Park,

home to Wales's highest mountain.

I know this terrain well, and it can be pretty brutal.

Famously, Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay

used Snowdon to prepare for their 1953 ascent of Everest.

In fact, Wales has a rich connection and history with the mountain,

and in fact she was named after a Welshman -

the Welsh geologist and surveyor, Sir George Everest.

But mountains and rocks aren't just for climbing

or admiring while you cycle through them.

They also reveal incredible secrets about our ancient past.

Dr Lynda Yorke lectures in physical geography at Bangor University.

One of her favourite places on earth is Cwm Idwal

here in Snowdonia.

Well, I love this place, and I know that you do, too.

I do. Could you help me understand, though,

how these mountains were created?

It starts about 550 million years ago

and we had this really explosive volcanic activity.

And all of this area was this really active volcano zone,

a bit like what you see in the Andes, present day.

Yeah. Taking me back to GCSE geography,

that is a glacial trough. It is indeed!

It's the most fantastic example of a glacial trough you'll see.

So, yeah, originally,

30,000 years ago to about 15,000 years ago,

all of this area was under ice.

And we had ice coming out of the mountains

from the Snowdonia range,

the North Wales ice ploughing down this valley,

carving out this fantastic glacial trough,

so that really shaped the main part of this landscape.

Is it true that Darwin's theory of evolution

started here in North Wales,

or North Wales played a part in that?

It definitely did.

Back in about sort of 1831,

Darwin came here with his geology professor.

There was actually some famous boulders

named after Darwin just on the other side of the cwm,

which he sort of deduced had been transported on the top of the ice,

and as the ice melted away, they'd fallen through the gaps in the ice.

And we can still see them today.

Wow. That's awesome. That is really cool.

And now it's one of the most amazing adventure destinations

in the world and it's right on our doorstep as well.

It is. Talking here,

I know I've got to get back on my bike, haven't I?

You have. You've got a long way to go.

I have. I have.

And a big rock to climb as well, the biggest here in Wales.

But before I take on the last leg of my journey,

these are Darwin's rocks.

It's remarkable to think that Snowdonia helped him form

his ground-breaking ideas.

But now it's time for me to face my final challenge -

cycling to the place that was created in the chaos

of massive volcanic upheaval.

The summit of Snowdon sits at 3,560 feet,

and it's here in the clouds where my route ends.

This is Llanberis Path

and the only route up the mountain by bike.

In peak season bikes are only allowed on here

before ten in the morning and after five in the evening.

And as it's just turned five,

this is my chance to reach the summit.

I've run up here many times before

and I'd never say it's been an easy day,

but I tell you what, this is the first time I've ridden and...

Oh, wow.

My legs are screaming.

How are you guys doing?

All right? That's a lovely smile there, that.

That's what I need to get me to the top.

I reckon...

I reckon if I didn't have

the best part of 170 miles in my legs,

and I wasn't shattered,

this actually would be pretty cool.

I don't know which is harder -

cycling up here or climbing it with my legs.

What an amazing way to finish this journey, though.

The summit of Mount Snowdon, Wales's highest mountain,

and what a fitting end to an amazing journey.

It just wouldn't be an adventure without an epic in it somewhere,

and to think we're in the middle of summer here in Wales!

It's just... It's just awesome.

It wouldn't have been a fitting end

rolling in somewhere with a hot cup of coffee waiting for me.

And the journey's been made all the richer

for the people that I've met along it.

And not just the ones that I knew I was going to meet

but the people that I've met just on this last section of the journey.

And to think I've created a new cycling route in Wales

and the highest cycling route in Wales.

It's just awesome.

And what an amazing way to mark Wales' Year Of Adventure.