0:00:04 > 0:00:07The Cambrian mountain range slices through Wales,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09running almost the entire length of the country.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I'm exploring this wild and rugged landscape
0:00:13 > 0:00:15near Ffair Rhos in south-west Wales,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19which was formed by the movement of mighty glaciers
0:00:19 > 0:00:22during the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Behind me are a group of reservoirs called the Teifi Pools,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and that's where I'll find the source of the River Teifi.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31So that's where I'm heading.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Giving me a chance to do some trail running across this barren
0:00:35 > 0:00:37but breathtaking wilderness.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49This place is so sparsely populated
0:00:49 > 0:00:52that some of the locals refer to it as the desert of Wales.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59And this is it - the source of the River Teifi.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01As you can see, it's just a small stream
0:01:01 > 0:01:04running from the Llyn Teifi reservoir above me.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07But this is the start of my adventure.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And I'll begin by running, then further down the river,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13challenging myself to learn a new skill - kayaking.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I'll be on foot for nine miles
0:01:16 > 0:01:20from the Teifi Pools to the Cors Caron Nature Reserve.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Kayaking isn't permitted on all parts of the Teifi,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25or the Teifi, as it's also known,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28so I'm entering the river at some of the best kayaking locations.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Llandysul for raging rapids,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Cenarth for a tough waterfall,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and Cilgerran,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38where I'll paddle its tidal waters to Cardigan Bay,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42the mouth of the river, 75 miles from where I started.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Most... HE PANTS
0:01:46 > 0:01:51Most of my cardiovascular training is done on a bike, but...
0:01:52 > 0:01:55..it's amazing to be out here.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56I love trail running.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58I feel like a kid again.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06I'm about to be challenged a little more when I get into the kayak.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09I'm not a paddler.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12You know, this is very much...
0:02:13 > 0:02:16..a new skill for me, and that is...
0:02:16 > 0:02:17the adventure.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24And in the blink of an eye,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27gone are the barren landscapes of the glacial troughs,
0:02:27 > 0:02:28giving way to a lush valley.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31This area is called Strata Florida,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33which means valley of the flowers,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and you can see why.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43The Teifi is growing from a stream into a river,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and I doubt this will be the last time I get wet.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Ah!
0:02:59 > 0:03:03As I move further downstream, the terrain doesn't fail to deliver.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06I move through thick mud, and into wet marshland...
0:03:14 > 0:03:15..which brings me out
0:03:15 > 0:03:17at the remarkable Cors Caron nature reserve.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21This vast 12,000 year-old wetland
0:03:21 > 0:03:24covers an area of more than 2,000 acres.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Here I'm meeting Ian Tillotson,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32who is known locally as an oracle when it comes to wildlife.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34This place is so special to him
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that he's lived here overlooking the bog for 40 years.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Ian, I know you used to be a chief warden
0:03:40 > 0:03:42for the Countryside Council for Wales,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but why is Cors Caron so special to you?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Cors Caron is special to us all, because it's not quite unique,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54but it is very special, because it is a raised bog.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Cors Caron is one of only two raised bogs left in Wales.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00A raised bog is created when layers of vegetation
0:04:00 > 0:04:02build up on the lake bed.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The bog then grows from its centre,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and can reach up to ten metres above ground level.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11All of this is thanks to one plant.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13The Sphagnum moss. Sphagnum!
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Yes. That's its name. Now, what do we know about Sphagnum?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20At the top, it's green, where it can photosynthesise,
0:04:20 > 0:04:21but as you come down the stem,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24it becomes paler and paler and paler, and then at the bottom,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26it begins to die back.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27But it doesn't rot away.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28It never rots away.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It humifies.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33"Humify" means simply that it's transformed
0:04:33 > 0:04:36into something else, namely peat.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Now, what you're standing on is something like 30 feet of peat,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44resting on what was the old lake bed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50As recently as the 1950s, peat was dug from here and used for fuel.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52As well as clearing for agriculture,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57this has resulted in the destruction of 94% of the raised bogs in the UK.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01It's why habitats such as Cors Caron are so rare.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Now protected, it's home to an abundance of wildlife.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But there's one specific creature for which Ian has real passion.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14He's spent his entire life studying it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16The moth.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Now, some of these moths are likely to go fairly quickly.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Oh, I can see one now.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Now, then.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Ah! There's an interesting moth.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25Right at the top.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29That looks like a piece of bark.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31There you are. That's an amazing camouflage.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34That's an adult buff-tipped moth.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Buff-tipped moths are common in Cors Caron.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39The larvae feed on the birch trees
0:05:39 > 0:05:43that thrive throughout this reserve and along the banks of the Teifi.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47That cryptic colouring - that's his only defence.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50He's soft-bodied, he's got no shell, nothing like that -
0:05:50 > 0:05:52he is vulnerable to a beak.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Yeah. Any old beak.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56So he's got to protect himself in the best way that he can,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and that's to hide. Nature's an amazing thing, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I mean, that, really... You'd be hard-pressed to see it
0:06:02 > 0:06:06unless you knew what you were looking for. Well, it's blended, hasn't it? Yeah. Blended.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Thank you so much, Ian. My pleasure.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11It's been wonderful to spend time with you here.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14It looks like I'm going to have to get in the kayak, though, now.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15OK. Good luck!
0:06:15 > 0:06:16Good voyaging!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The Teifi is now wide enough and deep enough
0:06:19 > 0:06:22for me to get my first taste of kayaking.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I've spent very little time in one of these,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27so I'm having to figure it out.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I've been given special permission
0:06:29 > 0:06:32to kayak to the edge of the reserve, and it's perfect for a beginner.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35It's calm and pretty slow moving.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39What worries me is that I know it won't stay like this for long.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46So far, I've only kayaked on a small stretch of calm water.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48I'm still very unsteady in my kayak.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54So I'm meeting Jet Moore,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57who coaches some of the British Olympic kayakers.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00He's invited me to paddle with him on some flat stretches of the river,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03where I can get to grips with this new discipline.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08OK, so, right to left?
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Yeah. Paddle right to left.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I'd like to think that I'm taking to kayaking like a duck to water.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Well, maybe not quite.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21And now I'm going down backwards.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Actually, could I say something? That...
0:07:25 > 0:07:27it's easier to go backwards!
0:07:27 > 0:07:30THEY LAUGH
0:07:32 > 0:07:33My confidence is growing.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36That was lush.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40And it's not long before Jet decides it's time
0:07:40 > 0:07:42to take the skill level up a notch.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45This is Llandysul.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49A one-kilometre stretch of the Teifi.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Home to seven sets of naturally-occurring,
0:07:52 > 0:07:53but pretty technical rapids.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Rapids are graded from one to six -
0:07:57 > 0:08:01one being easy, and six being so tough that they are rarely ridden.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The rapids here are grade two to three,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06which is large enough to bring the British Olympic
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and Welsh kayaking teams here to train.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13This is world-class water, isn't it?
0:08:13 > 0:08:16You know, it's produced some of the best paddlers around, I would say,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19for... you know, 30, 40 years now.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21At the moment, it's a really, really good level.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It's not high, it's not low. Is it?
0:08:23 > 0:08:27But it comes up another, I don't know, three metres probably on this.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Oh, wow. OK.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Talk me through the bits of the river, if you can, please?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It's slalom. Yeah? You can see the poles on the river here.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35The green gates, the red gates? The green and red gates.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Green's down, red's up, is that right? That's it, you've got it!
0:08:38 > 0:08:42The aim is to get from top to bottom on the course in the quickest time without hitting them. Yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45But I've actually got to get down this at some point.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Yeah. And my bar is a low bar.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I want to stay upright, and I want to keep my eyes open.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Having worked with you a little bit already on a few sections,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I've no doubt that you'll get down it fine.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Obviously... I'm glad you've got confidence in me!
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Obviously there's the chance if you do close your eyes,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05you might get wet. But, no. Keep your eyes open,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08follow the nice lines, and we're looking for the downstream V's.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12So, yeah, yeah. Looking for those downstream V's to give us the clues as to where to go.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14OK.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18A downstream V usually means fewer obstacles, but not always.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So I'll need to recce the toughest part of the course.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24This is the challenging one - the quarry.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27We've got the gates to give you a bit of guidance on it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Looking at it quickly, where would you sort of head on this bit?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I'd be aiming for the middle of that V...
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Yeah? ..and then a straight line through it.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Yeah, brilliant.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Pretty much through the green gate.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40As you come down next to gate 20 there,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42where that kayaker is at the minute.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45He's in the eddy - avoid the eddy, really, for the minute.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47But if you do end up in it, then mind you get that wobble...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Yeah, sure. ..as you've experienced a few times. OK.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52What's the key there is to keep paddling.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54So as long as you've got pressure on your blade,
0:09:54 > 0:09:55that'll keep you more stable.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00But before I run the gauntlet, I'm meeting Gabrielle Ridge.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02She's still only 19 years old,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05but already making waves in competitive kayaking.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08For her, Llandysul is key to her success.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Tell us why Llandysul is such a great place to train.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I personally love it because it's natural river.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17You've got poles, and you have to dodge through them,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19no matter what's going on around you.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23It's always a new environment that you're working in. Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25So, like, today for example, you've got a bit of rain,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28so the water's coming up, which is always great,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30because it means more waves and a bit more fun!
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Fun for you! Yeah. Fear for me! Yeah!
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Definitely. Was it slalom you got into first,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40or were there any different types of kayak that you went through?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43No, I've literally just come straight to slalom.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47I'm currently top Welsh girl in Britain.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51And ended last year as the top-ranked female junior
0:10:51 > 0:10:54across all of the kayak category in Britain. That's amazing.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And hot on her heels, at age 14,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Etienne Chappell is another youngster being trained up
0:11:01 > 0:11:03for future Olympic Games.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07The Teifi has had a life-changing impact on him and his future.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I've never been great in school.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I've never had, like, good grades,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I've never been the best-behaved kid in the class.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20But, to me, kayaking keeps me chilled,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and it's, like, given me a better attitude towards school.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Yeah. Do your work, keep your head down, and things.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27When I paddle this section,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I can imagine that they're the best lines.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Yeah. I know that, I get that, I can see it from the bank,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36but actually, controlling the kayak is a different thing. I mean...
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Yeah, it's all well and good, like, standing on the bank
0:11:40 > 0:11:42checking your lines and doing the course walks and stuff,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44but the majority of the time,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47you only hit about 50% of those lines.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50OK, yeah. So, like, when you're going down the course,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54maybe you'll hit a boil, so a surge in the water,
0:11:54 > 0:11:55that'll knock you off line a little bit.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Yeah. So it'll mess you up for the next gate.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59So you're constantly having to adjust?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Constantly having to adjust on the water.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04That's the great thing about it. You like the adrenaline, don't you?
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Yeah. Definitely.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Bigger water, the better! Bigger buzz. RICHARD LAUGHS
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Right, I can't put this off any longer.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I'm kitted up, and I'm ready to go.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16But before I do, I want to see these two at work.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Are you going to show me how it should look now, are you?
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I love watching experts do what they do.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48They make it look so easy!
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Yeah! I guess the next thing will be for yourself to do it.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58This is my second day in a kayak, and now...
0:13:00 > 0:13:04..the guys have got me going down Llandysul Rapids,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08which are used by the Welsh and GB teams, so, erm...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11..yeah, it's pretty insane, if I'm being honest.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Nice. Bit of power, get the line, Rich.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18This fast water is tougher than it looks.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Today, it's flowing at about eight cumecs.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Carry on.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28That's kayaker talk.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30One cumec is one tonne of water per second.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And with all that weight crashing down on a ravine full of boulders,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I really don't want to capsize.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43Keep on going a little bit.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Keep going. Keep it straight, keep it straight, keep it straight.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Three sets of rapids down, four to go.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Carry on!
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Keep paddling, keep paddling.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Got it!
0:14:07 > 0:14:08HE LAUGHS
0:14:08 > 0:14:11It's an awesome ride, and it's not over yet.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Up ahead is Quarry Rapid, the toughest section on the course.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19With the other rapids behind me, I'm feeling good.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Just one last push, and I'll have made it.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Jet's coached me well,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and I really want to complete the entire course.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48Nice one, Rich - swim to the side.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53BLEEP Came out the boat!
0:14:59 > 0:15:00That's how I feel.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10What you're...
0:15:10 > 0:15:11What you're seeing now is...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16..you know, is the competitor in me.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Nothing is second nature to me, so everything has to be...
0:15:20 > 0:15:23..you know, processed and then done, and by the time you do that,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25that few seconds,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27that split second is too late, and, you know,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time, and, er...
0:15:31 > 0:15:32..it's tough.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I might not be, er... graceful in defeat...
0:15:41 > 0:15:42..but I'm not going to give up, either.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46That's not in my nature!
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I don't like to think that these waters are beating me,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57so I've decided I'm going to take them head-on at Cenarth.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I was always going to go in learning on a kayak.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And we all learn more when things go wrong.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I'm not one to give up, though, and...
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I've had a good night's sleep,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18I've had a cup of coffee...
0:16:18 > 0:16:19and I'm back on it now.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23And what a way to get back on it.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31This is Cenarth Falls.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It's famous locally as an extremely dangerous,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36grade four combination of waterfall and rapids.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Here we are, Cenarth Falls,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47the biggest sort of waterfall on the river,
0:16:47 > 0:16:48and that's where I'm thinking,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51having seen you paddle now, and having worked with you yesterday
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and everything else, if you're up for it,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I think your ability to get down there is fine.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I must admit, I'm hoping Jet's right.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Watching the river drop away in front of me is a worrying feeling.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16A couple of strokes in, and my heart is in my throat.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17There's no turning back now.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28HE LAUGHS
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Great. Waterfall tackled.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Next, the rapids.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Jet told me to go right...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01..and, you know,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03I went left. Let's do this again.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07OK. Take two.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Whoohoo!
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Yeah, baby!
0:18:25 > 0:18:27HE LAUGHS
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Ah!
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I'm feeling like I could actually
0:18:33 > 0:18:35be getting the hang of this paddling.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I don't want to speak too soon, though,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40as I've organised to meet an expert on a vessel
0:18:40 > 0:18:42synonymous with the Teifi, and it's not a kayak.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45This is Denzil Davies.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49One of only a handful of master coracle makers and paddlers
0:18:49 > 0:18:51left in Wales.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Siwmae?
0:18:52 > 0:18:53Siwmae?
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Hiya, Denzil. Croeso.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Coracles have been used on these waters since pre-Roman times,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and are designed to be lightweight, manoeuvrable and tough,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05bespoke for their original use - salmon fishing.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Denzil, can you tell me how these are actually made?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11During autumn time, my forefathers,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15they would go out looking for willow saplings.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18They would cut the branches out, about that thickness,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22they would knife down them then into lattice work.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Yeah. These bits here? These lats here, you see?
0:19:25 > 0:19:29They would weave them then, around the corners of the seat,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32to anchor the seat into the whole structure, then, you see.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33It's amazing.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Denzil has paddled these coracles all of his life,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and it's not just the Teifi he's set sail on.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42So you're the first and only person to have paddled the English Channel
0:19:42 > 0:19:43in one of these? That's it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46It caused many people to laugh, you know?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I know. Mainly because it's a challenge.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It's a challenge for me, and a challenge for the coracle.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Yeah. And that was this Teifi coracle.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Before I take on the coracle,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Denzil gives me a few pointers on how to use it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Step into it in a balanced way.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Sit on that unfortunately very, very wet seat.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Place one foot in each corner then to balance yourself,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and no doubt you've got the experience
0:20:09 > 0:20:12with your canoe handling of how to paddle it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15You'd be... You've got more faith in me than I have, Denzil!
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Well, let's hope I'm right, then!
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Denzil, you made this look so easy.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29I reckon I can push off, Denzil!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Do you reckon you can?
0:20:31 > 0:20:32I think you can.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35There we are.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Try paddling now, then, Richard, towards me.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Over the front, you paddle.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42You don't paddle on the side.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43You're not in a canoe now.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44That's the one.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49From side to side.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Use it from corner to corner.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Denzil, I'm just turning round in circles here!
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Yeah - a different manoeuvre altogether.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Well, he's putting his right hand now over the top of the notch.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Yeah. The left hand, then, about halfway down the paddle...
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Yeah. ..so that with both hands, you can swivel the wrists to help turn.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20OK. Turn the paddle at a 45 degree angle...
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Yes. ..from the left corner to the right corner.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Back then from the right corner to the left corner.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Easy!
0:21:29 > 0:21:30Maybe not.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Yep, I'm still turning round in circles.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Try and go in for a land now, then.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Remember the balance.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Remember the balance.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46Yep.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Are you beginning to get the hang of it now?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52No, not at all.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Go for the land now, then.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01Oh...
0:22:03 > 0:22:05RICHARD LAUGHS
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Come in now, please.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Yeah, well, I'm trying, believe it or not.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12I've been trying to come in for the last ten minutes!
0:22:12 > 0:22:14THEY LAUGH
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Eventually, I'm out of a coracle
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and into what's known as a touring kayak.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29I join the river at Cilgerran and as I get closer to the sea,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31the river is really starting to widen.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38I'm meeting with Johnny Young,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Olympic para-canoeist, and a double world championship medal winner.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45He's a 200-metre sprint specialist,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and paddles at a rate of 146 strokes per minute,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52covering 100 metres in just 20 seconds.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56For him, kayaking has had a profound effect on his life.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59Hiya, Johnny.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06It was December 2012 I had a skiing accident,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11and I basically landed and burst my L2 vertebra,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14which then caused a spinal cord injury.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Like, initially, it was just nothing was going on from here down,
0:23:18 > 0:23:19you know? The...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The surgeon was excellent, actually, in France.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28And he said, "You've had a bad break of your lower lumbar spine.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30"In order to give you the best chance of being able to walk again,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32"we need to operate."
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And he said to me afterwards, he said,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37"I don't know how successful this is going to be.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39"I don't know if we've got all the nerves,
0:23:39 > 0:23:40"or what we're going to see...
0:23:42 > 0:23:45"..but time will ultimately tell."
0:23:45 > 0:23:47What was your biggest challenge through your injury?
0:23:47 > 0:23:48While...
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I did feel strongly that my identity...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57..was still the same, it was how that was displayed
0:23:57 > 0:23:59that was going to be different.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01And I think that that was the thing, then,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03that I wanted to really find...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05how to show that.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Our bodies don't have to define us.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I think that's the good thing about it, and...
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Yeah, injuries, while they're hard to deal with,
0:24:13 > 0:24:14they can be dealt with.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Yeah. I tell you what I've learned, though...
0:24:17 > 0:24:19is your legs do a lot of work in kayaking.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21When I started on the programme,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23I was very much a full-time wheelchair user.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I just didn't have the strength in my legs to stand up.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Whereas now...
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Yeah - the rotation, and all those little messages sending down -
0:24:32 > 0:24:35they fire up all the little muscles that are working in my legs.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38While they're still skinny, having that ability to fire them up
0:24:38 > 0:24:40has just got me so much more out of it.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44That's amazing. So, I didn't really expect to get it at all, so...
0:24:44 > 0:24:48I'm itching to see what Johnny can do in his sprint canoe...
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and I can't help getting competitive about it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52I know I'm going to lose...
0:24:53 > 0:24:58..but I can't paddle with you without wanting to have a crack. Have faith in yourself!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Go on, then. Give me a head start, though, won't you? A little bit. OK.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05If I can keep it in a straight line.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23RICHARD LAUGHS
0:25:23 > 0:25:27My 50-metre head start quickly evaporates.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29It's amazing to witness his skill and speed in the water.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36As Johnny powers off to continue his training,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38I make my way to the mouth of the river.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43This is Cardigan Bay,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and it's where the river meets the sea
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and widens into a vast and glorious estuary.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51As it opens up in front of me,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I can feel a breeze rolling up the river.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57It's now only a short distance to where the Teifi ends.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Paddling into it is...
0:26:02 > 0:26:04hard work. It's bringing...
0:26:04 > 0:26:07It's giving me nightmares of skiing into the wind in Antarctica.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Paddling is slow going.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15I find myself with plenty to reflect on from the last three days.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18The people that I've met along my journeys
0:26:18 > 0:26:20have been awesome humans.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24What I learnt is that each of them
0:26:24 > 0:26:29has embraced the spirit of adventure in their own unique way.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53This is Poppit Sands,
0:26:53 > 0:26:5673 miles from where I started my adventure.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58And what an eye-opening adventure it's been.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Warming up next to the fire, it's...
0:27:03 > 0:27:06It's made me think about the last few days, and...
0:27:06 > 0:27:09how stepping outside of my comfort zone, and...
0:27:11 > 0:27:13..attempting to learn a new skill has...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Well, it's already enriched my life, but...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18the actual river...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20the River Teifi has...
0:27:21 > 0:27:23..enriched so many people's lives, and...
0:27:25 > 0:27:26And that's really wonderful.