Dafydd Davies Cefn Gwlad

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-I've come to the hills of Llanddewi.

-I'm visiting Aberdeuddwr Farm.

-Its name means

-'confluence of two rivers'...

-..the Brefi and the Dulas, which

-join and flow down to Llanddewi.

-Dafydd Davies and his brother, Huw,

-were raised at this farm.

-Huw lives here,

-and Dafydd often helps him.

-Dafydd is well-known as one

-of Europe's best stickmakers.

-He makes his sticks

-at his home in Llanddewi...

-..but I think he's around here,

-somewhere.

-It's a fine day.

-Aberdeuddwr Farm is located

-up the Brefi Valley...

-..three miles from the village

-of Llanddewi Brefi, near Tregaron.

-Dafydd Davies's career is very

-different from his brother's.

-His main interest

-is making shepherd's crooks.

-But he's always ready

-to help Huw on the farm.

-You've been lending

-a helping hand, Dafydd.

-Yes, I get involved,

-every now and then.

-Where does this road lead?

-It's a dead end, giving access

-to Brynambor on one side...

-..and Ty Cornel Youth Hostel

-on the other.

-But there's a track

-to Nant-llwyd and Soar y Mynydd...

-..that's accessible

-to four-by-four vehicles.

-This is a difficult area

-to fence.

-If it was beside the road,

-we'd use a machine...

-..but we're above the road,

-so we have to do it by hand.

-It's a breath of fresh air...

-..for you to leave your shed

-and its sawdust...

-..to give a helping hand.

-I help from time to time.

-During lambing,

-I'm here for three or four weeks.

-I also help when the sheep are

-brought down from the mountain.

-Mankind's first crafts.

-Your father and your uncle

-were known as the Aberdeuddwr boys.

-Is that Aberdeuddwr?

-Is that Aberdeuddwr?

-

-Yes, that's Aberdeuddwr Farm.

-The farm extends

-as far as the forest.

-It's all a single holding

-that also includes Carnau Farm...

-..Maen-yr-allor Farm and Cwm Brefi

-Farm, and it covers 1,200 acres.

-Huw, Dafydd's brother, keeps a

-fine flock of Welsh Mountain sheep.

-Like their predecessors...

-..the brothers know the importance

-of constant improvement.

-She's a useful dog, Huw.

-She's alright -

-she's still quite young.

-Does she understand Welsh?

-Yes, that's usually the case

-in this area.

-Are these the rams for next year?

-Are these the rams for next year?

-

-A few, perhaps.

-They look strong.

-They're Welsh Mountain sheep.

-They're Welsh Mountain sheep.

-

-Yes, most of them.

-We cross older ewes with Bluefaceds

-to produce Mules.

-You've done a lot

-to improve the land.

-You're not involved

-in stickmaking, are you?

-No - I just supply the horns.

-That's an important job too.

-The brothers breed rams in the

-shadow of Aberdeuddwr farmhouse.

-A few will be sold soon,

-and the others will be kept.

-Your rams are popular.

-People come all the way from the

-South Wales valleys to buy them.

-They have nice white heads.

-My father preferred

-a white head rather than red.

-A red head may indicate toughness,

-but he preferred a clean head.

-I'm the same.

-Your father and your uncle

-bought and sold sheep.

-Yes, they worked as dealers,

-selling in Brecon.

-His grandfather's brother,

-old Uncle Sam...

-..was the last drover in our area

-to walk his sheep to Brecon.

-They had a pitch

-at the market in Brecon...

-..a pitch that they rented

-from the council.

-They sold ewe lambs and ewes

-to farmers from South Wales.

-Of course, the most important thing

-you're looking for in any ram...

-..is a good horn for stickmaking.

-Yes, I look among the older rams,

-the ones that have lost their teeth.

-The horns need to have matured

-to their full strength.

-I use modern presses in the workshop

-to bend and shape the horns.

-It means I can produce

-better sticks.

-Was stickmaking

-something you always wanted to do?

-You've produced hundreds of sticks.

-I was interested

-in producing furniture, initially.

-Then it occurred to me

-that I could sell sticks as well.

-The stickmaking business took over

-from the furniture business.

-Sticks are all I make, now.

-Dafydd and his wife, Carys,

-live next door to the workshop...

-..in the centre of Llanddewi Brefi.

-The building looks old...

-..but it's full of the latest

-woodworking equipment.

-Llanddewi has won the Best Kept

-Village in Wales award four times.

-It's an ideal place to live.

-Hello there!

-I've never seen so much furniture,

-and so many pipes!

-Yes, it's like the Mersey Tunnel!

-What's the purpose

-of all these pipes?

-They remove dust.

-The machines create a lot of dust,

-which is bad for the chest.

-The pipes extend up

-through workshop...

-..and there's a big vacuum motor

-at the other end.

-Your sticks are sold to people

-all over the world.

-Yes - the internet is the best thing

-ever for selling my work.

-I don't have to leave Wales, I don't

-even have to leave the house.

-I can sell over the internet by just

-sitting down and pressing buttons.

-But I still have to go to my

-workshop and create the produce.

-There are lots of stickmakers

-in Wales.

-But for most of them,

-it's a hobby, not a business.

-I decided to make a business of it.

-I produce sticks

-in order to sell them.

-That was my starting point.

-There aren't many people

-who sell sticks.

-Making a perfect, plain stick

-is hard work.

-If you're making

-a more colourful stick...

-..decorated with the head

-of a pheasant or a fish...

-..the decoration can hide a lot.

-But a plain stick

-is very difficult to get right.

-I started with local trials...

-..and moved on to Welsh trials,

-and then international trials.

-World trials have been

-an important opening for me.

-Nowadays, we have up to 27 countries

-taking part.

-My sticks sell all over the world -

-to America, to Europe.

-Four months ago, I received an order

-from a man in Norway.

-He wanted 15 sticks.

-I have to finish that order

-before Christmas...

-..and send them to Norway.

-He will probably sell them on.

-Do you make sticks solely from wood?

-Very few sticks

-are made solely from wood.

-Wooden sticks aren't as strong

-as sticks made with horn.

-A horn stick will last longer.

-Most of my sticks

-are made with Welsh rams' horns...

-..though I also import materials

-such as buffalo horns...

-..things like that...

-..but not very often.

-Dafydd, here we have

-the raw material.

-Without this, you'd have no sticks.

-How difficult is it

-to obtain raw material?

-It's getting more difficult.

-I have a friend in Scotland.

-Together, we have a licence

-to import horns from abroad.

-We import horns

-from places like India, Pakistan...

-..China, Vietnam, Africa -

-all sorts of different places.

-It's getting more difficult

-to obtain horns from UK abattoirs.

-Since the BSE

-and foot and mouth crises...

-..there's been a clampdown

-in UK abattoirs...

-..though it's still allowed.

-The government has tried to apply

-traceability to horn produce...

-..so that you record the details

-of a horn's origin.

-This is a buffalo horn -

-a coloured buffalo horn.

-It's like marble - it has shades

-of green, brown, blue...

-..and even white patches.

-But they're very difficult

-to obtain, at the moment.

-It's not just a matter of rarity.

-In Italy, they're popular

-for making spectacle frames...

-..and in Japan, they're used

-for making buttons for clothing.

-So prices have been increasing.

-Perhaps 10 or 12 years ago,

-I'd pay 8 to 10 per horn...

-..today I pay 40 to 50

-per horn.

-If I were to ask you -

-this is an incredible display...

-..which type of horn

-is your favourite?

-Welsh rams' horns, every time.

-It's a very rounded horn.

-It's the perfect horn

-for making sticks...

-..especially shepherds' crooks.

-The horn itself is rounded.

-Compare it with this horn

-from a Scottish Blackface ram.

-It's a large, awkward horn.

-It takes a lot of time

-to work it into shape.

-But the horn of a Welsh ram

-is perfect.

-When people sell horned rams...

-..the tips of the horns

-are often trimmed.

-When you obtain horns

-where the tips have been trimmed...

-..would you regard them as damaged?

-Yes.

-There are blood vessels

-inside the horn.

-If these are damaged

-and blood flows into the horn...

-..it acts like an acid -

-it eats away at the horn.

-This becomes evident

-when you work on the horn...

-..there's a big hole in it.

-When farmers trim horns,

-it spoils them...

-..making them unsuitable

-for stickmaking.

-That's a huge one.

-That's a huge one.

-

-This one?

-It's from a Highland cow.

-I happened to be up in Lancashire,

-picking up rams' horns...

-..and I met a man

-who kept Highland cattle.

-It was an icy cold day.

-A cow had got herself

-stuck in a gate...

-..and she'd pulled this horn

-completely off her head.

-A vet was there, stitching her head.

-She certainly had quite a headache!

-If anyone from the National

-Eisteddfod is watching...

-..here's a new Hirlas Horn for you,

-from Llanddewi!

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-A mile or two from Aberdeuddwr,

-in Cwm Brefi...

-..stands Dafydd Davies's

-original home.

-Carnau Farm

-is still owned by the family.

-The farms retains its character.

-Did you build these sheds?

-We brought people in

-to build the structures...

-..but it was up to us

-to decide how we wanted them.

-We did the internal work ourselves.

-We did the internal work ourselves.

-

-What's the name of this farm?

-It's called Carnau.

-There's a cairn on the mountain.

-It's the site of an ancient burial.

-A pile of stones

-marks the site of the burial.

-People from Lampeter University

-visit it often...

-..to investigate the burial.

-The views are magnificent.

-Yes, this land is still very open.

-Is it your land,

-as far as we can see?

-Father always used to say, when

-English people came to the farm...

-.."As far as the eye can see."

-What's that over there?

-Is it an old ruin?

-An old house - the old Cwm Brefi.

-And then, in the distance,

-the furthest mountain...

-..that's Cwm Brefi mountain, where

-the River Brefi has its source.

-It flows down through the village.

-Llanddewi Brefi takes its name

-from the river.

-The river flows from the mountain.

-The river flows from the mountain.

-

-Isn't there a verse?

-"Fine Llanddewi Brefi,

-where the ox bellowed nine times

-"Until Craig y Foelallt

-split in two"

-We passed it on the way up -

-there's a split down the middle.

-According to legend,

-one of the oxen fell dead...

-..the other ox bellowed nine times

-and the rock split in two.

-You can see it on the way back.

-You've built lots of sheds.

-Very tidy.

-My father built the first shed...

-..then my brother decided

-to put pens in the shed.

-Lambing takes place indoors.

-My brother and I cut some trees...

-..then we brought in a man

-from Bala who had a mobile mill.

-We'd cut some larch trees

-from the hillside above.

-The man sawed all the trees.

-This was back in the '80s.

-We used the timber

-to build small pens inside the shed.

-The quality of the wood is far

-better than what we have today...

-..where you can push staples in

-using just a finger!

-Dafydd enjoys giving a helping hand

-on the family farm.

-But stickmaking

-is still his main interest.

-You can't keep him

-out of his workshop for long.

-He's an expert craftsman.

-He's also a good teacher.

-Let's see

-if you're any good as a pupil.

-Let's make a stick for you.

-I'll show you the process.

-I'll try to teach you

-how to prepare a horn.

-This process is called bulking.

-The horn is worked

-to make it rounded...

-..instead of this flat shape.

-We're making it rounded.

-We give it a camber.

-You can make this flat piece

-rounded?

-You heat it, and since it's fibrous,

-you can manipulate it.

-You heat the horn.

-Not the inner part,

-just the lower part.

-Take it lower.

-Don't go all over the place.

-Did you ever listen at school?

-Did you ever listen at school?

-I said the lower part, not all over.

-I said the lower part, not all over.

-

-Just the lower part?

-Move upwards

-about half an inch at a time.

-Let's see if it moves.

-It becomes like putty.

-Just this spot?

-That's right, just that part.

-These two vices,

-or whatever you call them...

-..that are holding the horn -

-they're quite unusual.

-They're called presses.

-The late Wil Edwards,

-my brother-in-law, and I..

-...put our heads together

-one day in the workshop...

-..and devised and constructed

-these jigs.

-It's taking a long time to heat.

-It takes about 12 hours of work

-to mould a whole horn.

-People don't realise

-how long it takes.

-I like making plain sticks -

-they're my ideal sticks.

-I have a plain stick over here,

-made using a Welsh ram's horn.

-That's practically perfect.

-Look at the horn.

-It's clean.

-Shaping a horn like this

-is very difficult.

-What wood is it - hazel?

-The colour is wonderful.

-The colour is wonderful.

-

-Yes, it's hazel.

-It's multicoloured.

-It reminds me of snakeskin.

-There are lots of different colours

-on the shank.

-It's completely natural.

-These trees grow in wet valleys...

-..where moss grows on the bark,

-causing the colour to change.

-The best place to find them these

-days is under coniferous trees...

-..where very acid rainwater

-drips on to the branches.

-There's a lot of acidity

-in coniferous trees...

-..and this causes the bark

-to change colour.

-They're hard to find,

-but we have a few sources in Wales.

-That's a superb stick.

-It's won prizes at several shows.

-It's a stick I want to keep.

-It's won the champion stick award

-several times at various shows.

-Do you put more effort

-into work for a competition?

-Yes - you spend more time

-perfecting the handle...

-..and the finishing,

-the varnishing.

-Everything must be perfect.

-With sticks made for selling, I'd

-usually apply two coats of varnish.

-Sticks for competitions

-need four or five coats.

-I like to carve the animals

-I see around me almost every day.

-Of course, there are some

-creatures, such as bald eagles...

-..that I don't see every day.

-But it's a popular stick.

-I make lots of these to sell to

-countries like America and Canada.

-Look at that beak!

-Again, it's made from a single horn.

-Nothing has been added to the horn -

-it's just a single piece.

-I heat the horn and draw the beak

-to make it rounded.

-Here's a new stick I made recently

-for a local customer.

-This woman's father, Bleddyn,

-is celebrating his 60th birthday.

-Bleddyn has working terriers.

-But instead of carving a dog

-on the handle, I've carved a fox.

-On the other side,

-I've carved his name, Bleddyn.

-Here's a stick

-that's a work in progress.

-Here it is.

-I'm carving the handle

-to look like a red kite.

-Most people think red kites

-have red heads...

-..but in reality,

-they have grey heads.

-Their bodies are red.

-So I'll be adding some red.

-The head is grey

-but there's some red in the neck.

-I'll add more red towards the back.

-The final element when making

-a stick is placing the eyes.

-The eyes bring the animal alive.

-I have a golden eagle in the rack.

-Let me show you what I've done

-with the golden eagle.

-I've put its eyes at an angle.

-Can you see?

-Its eyes are at an angle

-so that it looks predatory.

-You've put a lot of work into this.

-That's where the power is.

-It's very good.

-Next time, I'll make one

-with an open beak...

-..as if it's about to snatch

-its prey.

-Dafydd spends most of his time

-in the workshop, making sticks.

-His wife, Carys,

-has plenty to do, too.

-This afternoon, she's polishing

-shepherds' whistles...

-..made from sheep's horns.

-Carys, are you in charge

-of the whistles?

-I find them fascinating.

-They make an incredible sound.

-If you say so -

-I can't get any sound from them!

-The trouble is, plastic whistles

-are formed in a mould.

-They're rough

-when they come out of the mould.

-They're mass produced

-in their thousands...

-..they're not made by hand.

-But I make them all by hand.

-They're made from horn?

-They're made from horn?

-

-Yes, they're made from horn.

-The thing about horn is that

-it stays at the same temperature.

-When you put it to your lips,

-even in winter when it's freezing...

-..the whistle won't freeze you.

-Freezing metal sticks to your lips

-and can even draw blood.

-Horn is always the same temperature.

-It's an easy whistle to use.

-You place it in your mouth and you

-keep your tongue behind the whistle.

-Then you just put the tip

-of your tongue over the whistle.

-HE WHISTLES

-When you take a dog

-out on the mountain...

-..it can hear this whistle

-at distances up to a mile.

-It makes a very high-pitched noise.

-It's a very piercing sound.

-If I sent my dog a mile away,

-I'd need to give him a phone!

-He wouldn't hear me, otherwise!

-WHISTLING

-Lie down, you rascal!

-S4C subtitles by Trosol Cyf.

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