Dyffryn Clwyd Cynefin

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-Wales is a country

-with a wealth of history.

-History became folk tales

-which in turn became legends.

-Things can get lost, sometimes

-for hundreds of thousands of years.

-Ghosts, dragons, witches.

-All wild tales,

-and nowhere suits them better.

-This week,

-we're in the Vale of Clwyd...

-..an expansive agricultural area

-that's home to new and old industry.

-It has numerous remote spots,

-hiding a variety of secrets.

-But be careful,

-or you could trample on something.

-"When Lleweni Fawr was a lake

-and Ruthin was a harbour town."

-That old saying gives us an insight

-into how this area once looked.

-But time changes

-the land around us...

-..although not necessarily

-to the same extent everywhere.

-This is our habitat.

-Our journey starts on the outskirts

-of the market town of Ruthin.

-The town's history is more fiery

-than that of many other Welsh towns.

-It saw fierce battles...

-..between Owain Glyndwr and the

-local lords, the De Grey family.

-But Ruthin has held on

-to its heritage...

-..as the architecture proves.

-Many of the buildings

-have stayed unchanged for centuries.

-There are old hanging beams here,

-and boulders linked to King Arthur.

-It's also where Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

-was first published.

-South of Ruthin, in Pentrecelyn...

-..is a farm that witnessed

-all of this, and much more.

-There are remnants on this farm

-that go back millions of years.

-One of the oldest

-is the rock behind us.

-You can see shells in the rock...

-..which proves

-that it has been under water.

-The Vale of Clwyd was once submerged

-all the way up to Pentrecelyn.

-That's how the rock,

-the different strata, was formed.

-The same process is happening

-on Australia's coral reef today...

-..as happened here

-millions of years ago.

-It's incredible.

-It is odd to think

-what was here then.

-You could say that the history

-of the Vale of Clwyd...

-..is contained

-within the farm's boundaries.

-There's a Roman road

-near the lower fields.

-It ran from Caergai,

-in Llanuwchllyn, to Chester.

-Have you been along it at all?

-I've been along it

-with a metal detector.

-Did you find anything?

-Did you find anything?

-

-They took it all with them!

-They didn't leave anything for me.

-They have found Roman coins

-a mile further south.

-But I haven't found anything.

-It must be odd to think that this

-place's history goes back so far.

-I suppose so.

-I don't think we realize

-because we're here every day.

-My family has been here since 1926,

-when my grandfather bought it.

-The old part of the house,

-this corner, was built in 1580.

-They built an extension in 1620...

-..which has a special chimney.

-It has eight corners.

-I admire whoever built it

-for going to so much trouble.

-He must have been a craftsman.

-Grandad, Edward Vaughan Jones,

-Ted Ty'n Llanfair...

-..kept a threshing machine.

-I've got a book

-that has been kept since 1937-38.

-It's a record of the farms

-where they would thresh.

-That's my grandfather

-on the traction.

-It's a good photo.

-They also kept a stallion.

-The stallion went to one farm

-in any area for a day.

-Other nearby farms would bring

-their mares to the stallion.

-There's a similar list in this book.

-Service of entire horse,

-Celyn Senator, 1938.

-One or two didn't pay.

-I'll have to chase them!

-I'll have to chase them!

-

-He was a busy boy too.

-Oh, yes.

-What about the local farms?

-What about the local farms?

-

-It's the commote of Faenol.

-This side of Llysfasi,

-there's still a farm called Faenol.

-That's what they call this area.

-I wrote a piece

-for the community newspaper...

-..about who lived in the commote

-50 years ago.

-There were about 17 farms

-and houses here.

-It was interesting.

-Only two farms

-are still in the same family today.

-Ty Isaf down the road,

-and I'm here at Ty'n Llanfair.

-But what is heartening is that 12

-are still owned by Welsh speakers.

-It's not bad at all.

-The language is perfectly safe.

-The past is much in evidence

-here at Ty'n Llanfair.

-It's strange to think

-that we can walk the same paths...

-..as Roman soldiers

-through these fields.

-The history we're looking at

-in Denbigh is different.

-Legends, superstition and tales

-of ghosts and witches abound.

-I'm off on a circuit

-of Denbigh today.

-I'll head up to the castle...

-..then go to Llannefydd,

-north of the town.

-Denbigh has a reputation

-for being a superstitious place.

-They take ghosts and witches

-very seriously.

-The adventurer HM Stanley,

-who was born here, noticed this.

-"If the grown folk

-had not all shared belief...

-"..in these gruesome creatures,

-I might have doubted they existed.

-"But I remember to have seen them

-huddle close to the fire...

-"..look at the shadows...

-"..as though they lay in way

-for darkness to pounce upon them...

-"..and carry them off

-into the ghostly limbo."

-More recently,

-a TV programme got into trouble...

-..for dubbing Denbigh

-"the village of the damned"...

-..because there's so much here

-to chill the blood.

-I won't label the town, but lots of

-things go bump in the night here...

-..if you know where to look.

-Take the witches of Denbigh.

-Sydney used to summon Satan.

-Actually, it was her son

-dressed as Satan.

-Sioned Gorn

-could foresee the future...

-..and hunt ghosts

-like any proper psychic.

-Then there was Bella Fawr, seen

-in this painting by Edward Pugh.

-Apparently,

-she removed a curse from him...

-..and got this as a thank you.

-The witches weren't all bad.

-The witches

-lived near the Lenten Pool...

-..which is now in the grounds

-of the old psychiatric hospital.

-The site is now

-too dangerous to enter.

-Because the building is collapsing?

-Or because the witches hung around

-for ages after their deaths?

-You decide, because

-I'm not hanging around.

-North of Denbigh, on the western

-side of the Vale of Clwyd...

-..there are surprises within

-the Elwy Valley's limestone cliffs.

-The caves were formed by the River

-Elwy thousands of years ago.

-You probably can't tell...

-..but I'm on the land

-of Plas-yn-Cefn near St Asaph...

-..owned by the Wynn family.

-If you know the area,

-you'll know the name.

-The Wynn family

-extends back for many centuries.

-They can trace their lineage back

-to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd...

-..or Llywelyn the Last.

-But the more you peer into Cefn's

-history, the further back you go...

-..past generations of ancestors...

-..to the beginnings of our country

-and of mankind itself.

-Charles Darwin himself

-came here in 1831...

-..while on a geological trip

-with Professor Adam Sedgwick.

-An odd couple,

-if ever there was one.

-Darwin nurtured the revolutionary

-ideas that would make him famous...

-..while Sedgwick

-had a very different standpoint.

-Like many others,

-Sedgwick still believed...

-..that the story of Noah

-and the flood was literally true.

-He hoped to find evidence of that

-here among the rocks of North Wales.

-Sedgwick didn't find

-the evidence that he sought.

-But somewhere

-in the bowels of the earth here...

-..they did find

-the tooth of a rhino...

-..that lived here 125,000 years ago.

-Right after leaving North Wales,

-Darwin boarded the Beagle.

-It took him to the Galapagos...

-..where he made one of mankind's

-most staggering discoveries.

-His theory of evolution.

-And while that occupied his mind...

-..had he gone

-into another cave nearby...

-..he wouldn't have found

-a rhino's tooth...

-..but the tooth of something

-much more remarkable.

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-The Vale of Clwyd

-isn't famous for its industry.

-There are no furnaces

-or factories churning out smoke...

-..and the old railways that once

-served the area are long gone.

-But there is a successful company

-near Llannefydd...

-..whose produce is distributed

-all over the world.

-You don't expect to come across

-a brand-new factory...

-..in a peaceful rural part

-of the Vale of Clwyd.

-But over 30,000 pots of yoghurt...

-..in 14 flavours

-are produced here every day...

-..and the business is still growing.

-But it was different at the outset.

-Our parents started back in 1985.

-I was six then, and I've grown up

-with the whole process.

-I saw my parents

-slaving away late at night...

-..trying to pack yoghurt into pots.

-The bus dropped me off

-at the crossroads after school.

-If they'd got to black cherry,

-they could have a relaxed evening.

-But if they were only on pineapple,

-they'd be at it until nine or ten.

-I've seen it all.

-I've had

-an incredible upbringing, in a way.

-So, it'll remain a family company.

-So, it'll remain a family company.

-

-It'd be nice to carry on the story.

-But I'd never pressurize anyone.

-I had dreams

-back when I was ten years old.

-I didn't see my future

-in packing yoghurts!

-There's no pressure on anyone

-to join the business.

-Packing yoghurts may be one way

-to describe this booming business.

-But it all started

-over 30 years ago...

-..in very different circumstances...

-..as Tal-y-Bryn dairy farm

-sought new ways to make money.

-It was tough,

-because it was just us two.

-Gareth milked

-and I bottled the milk.

-We washed the bottles here,

-these bottles.

-That's how we started,

-with the hot water cupboard.

-It's all very well to think

-we're an entrepreneurial bunch.

-What inspired us to make yoghurt...

-..was the fact that we had

-a by-product on our hands.

-That was cream.

-If you could sell cream one way

-and skim in another...

-..for the same price as milk,

-it was a gold watch.

-But when the cream

-became a business in itself...

-..we had a big surplus of skim.

-It was wooden spoon time,

-profits were small.

-That's what happened.

-We had to do something

-with the skim.

-The business has stayed

-at the family home.

-The company's history is here,

-and your roots are in the area.

-You must be proud of that.

-A few have asked why we don't

-relocate to an industrial estate.

-But everyone likes coming here.

-People like to come here for supper,

-come here to visit us.

-The Llannefydd area

-is very important to us.

-This is where the story is.

-People can see who produced it...

-..and where it's been produced.

-Even today, in these modern times,

-people like that.

-But having seen

-what you've created...

-..and the fact that the company

-is in your children's hands...

-..that must fill you with pride.

-Yes, we do feel proud,

-and it's nice to sit back.

-But I'm a hands-on person.

-I like to keep busy.

-I don't really like to sit back.

-It's hard when they're doing it,

-as long as they do it right.

-That's what we don't like!

-Not that they do it the right way,

-that they do it our way!

-Yes, it's hard to let go sometimes.

-But if you do

-let your imagination run free...

-..the Clwydian Hills

-can be an inspirational location.

-Recently, I've started

-to look to the hills.

-The Clwydian Hills are incredible.

-The next step,

-rather than just looking at them...

-..was to get them working for me.

-To use the mountain

-to create patterns on material.

-I'm not sure yet

-where the idea will take me.

-That the mountain itself

-leaves a mark.

-As the years have passed...

-..I've realized that we are

-perpetuating a very old Welsh craft.

-The craft of quilting.

-It is important to me

-to keep that tradition alive.

-It's a native Welsh craft

-that has travelled the world.

-I also want to develop the craft

-into the future...

-..by using more contemporary

-and experimental techniques.

-The line between art and craft

-is fairly thin.

-It can take months, years even...

-..for a project

-to mature in the subconscious.

-It's not the stitching

-that takes time.

-Your time is invested

-in planning and preparation.

-It's part of your identity,

-I think...

-..when you live in such a scenic

-and inspirational area.

-All kinds of horrors

-have taken place...

-..within and outside Denbigh Castle.

-As a result, there's no surprise

-that ghost stories and worse abound.

-In the 13th century,

-there's a story...

-..that the son of Henry de Lacy,

-Earl of Lincoln...

-..who built this castle

-for Edward I, fell into this well.

-He was only 15

-when the accident happened.

-Ever since,

-it's said that you can see him...

-..peeping through the windows

-looking sad.

-Some claim to have heard screams...

-..and to feeling nervous

-and fearful for no reason.

-There's also a story about a woman

-in white roaming these walls...

-..and a dark shape

-darting around the place.

-But the most famous story

-is even more incredible.

-A dragon lived here

-in Denbigh Castle.

-Local people called it "bych".

-It made its home in the castle...

-..and plummeted from the sky,

-attacking the villagers...

-..and snatched grazing animals

-from nearby fields.

-The villagers had no choice

-but to suffer in silence...

-..until one hero saved the day.

-He rushed towards the creature...

-..and stabbed the dragon

-with his sword.

-People started to celebrate

-and chant "Dim bych" - no dragon.

-And, according to legend,

-fantastically but unbelievably...

-..that's how Dinbych

-got its Welsh name.

-It's strange how our image

-of somewhere can change.

-Back in the early 20th century...

-..local children played in the caves

-that are all over the Cefn estate.

-No-one thought twice about it.

-But in 1978, archaeologists

-came across remains here...

-..that were older than any

-human remains ever found in Wales.

-And since local children

-used to play here...

-..it would be a shame

-to see the tradition die out.

-It was also a chance to share

-the story with some local families.

-When the archaeologists came here,

-they dug outside the cave as well.

-This is a photo of them digging.

-That's where they found

-a bear skull.

-That proves there were animals here

-that you don't see today.

-Look at the huge tooth.

-Look at the huge tooth.

-

-It's really big.

-The most surprising thing

-that they found during the dig...

-..were teeth

-from a Neanderthal child...

-..from over 200,000 years ago.

-As an archaeologist, I'm so excited

-to be visiting this particular cave.

-Since the incredible discovery,

-very few visitors are allowed here.

-But we're honoured

-to have been permitted...

-..to unlock the door

-that was put in place...

-..after the National Museum

-of Wales archaeologists...

-..completed their work in 1985.

-Let's see what's here.

-If you look carefully,

-what do you see here?

-Stones.

-Stones.

-

-Stones, yes.

-And clay.

-Does everything here look the same?

-The top is more rough and uneven.

-But further down,

-it's really smooth.

-That shows that they formed

-in different ways.

-You have material

-that flowed into this cave.

-Above that,

-stalagmites formed and grew.

-That was dated back

-to 220,000 years ago.

-This flowed in,

-then stalagmites grew.

-This filled the cave up to the

-opening through which we came in.

-Nothing came into the cave

-until about 80,000 years ago.

-Another flow then came in

-to leave the upper deposits.

-By dating this layer

-to 220,000 years ago...

-..the rocks beneath

-are clearly older.

-That's how they know how old

-the bones and stones there are.

-I think there is

-some awareness locally.

-But if you asked someone

-on the street in Denbigh...

-..it's quite possible

-that they'd be unaware...

-..that one of the most important

-archaeological finds in Wales...

-..was made a stone's throw away.

-Did you know a lot

-about these caves before today?

-I knew about the caves' existence...

-..and that they'd found

-the bones and the teeth here...

-..but I've never

-had the chance to visit.

-I'm so glad

-to have been able to come here...

-..to see somewhere so important

-as regards Welsh history...

-..our ancient history...

-..to see the site

-where these discoveries were made.

-I've been in lots of ancient caves.

-They're remarkable places.

-When we think about Welsh history...

-..the music and the literature...

-..our history as people...

-..there were people here hunting...

-..worrying...

-..laughing...

-..and living their lives

-near this cave...

-..far before that all began.

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-We're in the scenic Vale of Clwyd...

-..on the trail of ghost stories,

-legends and historical remains.

-This particular vale

-is replete with stories.

-One family in particular

-has more stories than anyone.

-I'm a little north of Denbigh,

-at Lleweni Parc.

-It's a lovely place

-to walk and fish...

-..or to fly above the area

-in a glider.

-The gliders soar above the old home

-of the Salisbury family.

-They built these gardens

-almost 400 years ago.

-There's an old folk song

-called Ysbryd Dafydd Salisbury...

-..about one family member

-roaming on horseback...

-..in the middle of the night,

-moaning and groaning.

-There's also a tale about the ghost

-of a giant of a man...

-..roaming and carrying huge blocks

-of wood on his shoulders.

-Some connect that ghost

-with John Salisbury...

-..also known as Sion y Bodiau...

-..the same man that they say

-killed the dragon at Denbigh Castle.

-But John Salisbury

-was also a man of flesh and blood.

-He was a soldier and an MP...

-..and was also at one time

-Denbighshire's wealthiest man.

-With two thumbs on each hand,

-you might think he had it tough...

-..especially

-if you believe the story...

-..that he wrestled a lion

-just to please Elizabeth I.

-These are the Salisbury family's

-former stables, Lleweni Hall.

-From here, the family

-spread across the world.

-One of them was among the founders

-of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

-Another was friends

-with William Shakespeare.

-Soldiers, poets, adventurers.

-But we shouldn't forget

-the women of the family.

-One settled in Llannefydd,

-where I'm heading now.

-The stories about her

-are a bit more credible.

-Well, just.

-As the main town of the Vale

-of Clwyd since the 13th century...

-..Ruthin has a tumultuous history.

-Welsh princes and English barons

-battled for this part of Wales.

-In 1400, Owain Glyndwr came here

-and set fire to the town.

-It's hard to find buildings

-that are older than that.

-But with Nantclwyd y Dre,

-we get relatively close.

-Built in 1435...

-..this is the oldest

-timber-framed townhouse in Wales.

-As you'd expect

-in such an old house...

-..there are layers upon layers

-of history here.

-Over the years, it has been home...

-..to solicitors, teachers,

-merchants and doctors...

-..as well as noblemen

-leading leisurely lives.

-Wherever you go in Ruthin...

-..the history of law and order

-follows you around.

-Ruthin is a peaceful town now...

-..but it wasn't

-in the time of Owain Glyndwr.

-After Glyndwr razed the town

-to the ground in 1400...

-..rebuilding work began.

-Thanks to research

-on Nantclwyd y Dre's oak timbers...

-..it's possible to date it

-to that exact period.

-What we're seeing here

-is the original house.

-It was only 30 years...

-..after Owain Glyndwr came

-and set the town on fire.

-He was doing battle

-with Reginald de Grey...

-..who lived in the town's castle.

-Was the house rebuilt then?

-We don't really know.

-There must have been

-something there.

-But that's the first house

-we know of.

-The first person to live here

-was Gronw ap Madog.

-A proper Welsh name.

-He married a woman called Suzanna,

-an Englishwoman.

-Reginald de Grey was getting rent

-of about two shillings for the land.

-Right.

-But when he found out that Suzanna

-was marrying a Welshman...

-..the rent went up

-to eight shillings.

-This area here

-is part of the back gardens.

-But this area behind us

-is something different.

-Yes, this was the lord's garden.

-Originally, this didn't belong

-to Nantclwyd y Dre.

-This garden belonged to the castle.

-The food for the castle

-was grown here.

-We're going back to the 1600s now.

-Nantclwyd rented the land

-from the castle.

-Almost a century passed

-before they could buy the land.

-Do we know

-who gardened here originally?

-Yes, we know the first gardener.

-A chap called Richard Peart.

-He was here for 30 years.

-He was the gardener

-of the lord at the castle.

-We get a lot of Americans

-visiting the garden.

-This is what I tell them

-about Richard Peart.

-We know he was here...

-..fifty years before Christopher

-Columbus left for the Americas.

-"Gee, that's kinda great!"

-They're happy to hear that.

-We think that this mound

-was used to site guns...

-..during the Civil War

-in the 1600s...

-..to fire towards the castle.

-What's this spot called?

-This is Cunning Green.

-From cwningen,

-the Welsh word for rabbit.

-If you stand here,

-you'll often see rabbits down there.

-They reckon that the castle

-used it as a rabbit warren.

-For food, you mean?

-For food, you mean?

-

-For food, and for their skins.

-It's remarkable

-that the name has survived.

-There are still links between

-this house and law and order.

-I know that judges lodged here

-three times a year, and so on.

-But you're an ex-policeman

-working in the garden.

-I was a policeman

-in Ruthin in 1984.

-Yes, there's still a link today.

-If you venture away from the towns

-into rural Vale of Clwyd...

-..and you'll be among the finest

-scenery Wales has to offer.

-The likes of Daniel Defoe, Beatrix

-Potter and William Wordsworth...

-..have all sung the area's praises.

-Yet, it still retains some secrets.

-This is Coed Cilygroeslwyd

-nature reserve.

-I've spent a lot of time here

-over the years...

-..and it's close to where I grew up.

-But the reserve

-is part of a wider woodland.

-Yes, extending from Pwll-glas

-to the town of Ruthin...

-..and known as Coed Marchan.

-It has an interesting history

-going back to the Middle Ages...

-..when it belonged to Ruthin Castle.

-It was used for hunting

-at that time.

-Then, later, there was a tannery...

-..in Mwrog Street in Ruthin.

-That industry needed tree bark.

-So, a lot of these trees

-were used at that time.

-Come the Industrial Revolution,

-there was a demand for charcoal.

-A great many trees

-were felled in Coed Marchan.

-But when demand for coal

-took over from charcoal...

-..places like Coed Marchan

-were left alone...

-..and the trees

-got a chance to grow again.

-But there's more to the reserve

-than trees.

-We're coming out of the darkness

-now, Heledd...

-..to the only part of the reserve

-that isn't woodland, the quarry.

-It's only a small quarry...

-..and it hasn't been worked

-for a great many years.

-As a result, the vegetation

-has had a chance to flourish.

-There are interesting plants here...

-..some of them rarer than others.

-There's one very special plant here.

-It's very rare.

-This is the only site in Wales

-where it grows.

-That one there?

-Yes, it's the limestone woundwort.

-As the name suggests,

-it only grows on limestone soil.

-It's a member of the mint family.

-You can tell,

-the leaves are similar.

-This is very rare,

-confined to this site in Wales...

-..and one other site in England.

-That's it, for the whole of Britain.

-And only here in Wales?

-And only here in Wales?

-

-Yes.

-Why is it so happy here?

-Why is it so happy here?

-

-No-one is very sure.

-One of the wonders of nature.

-One of the wonders of nature.

-

-Yes, a wonder and a mystery.

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-More tales of law and order lie

-in the shadow of St Peter's tower.

-The town's buildings seem

-more than happy to point them out.

-If you come to Ruthin,

-you'll see the old courthouse.

-Every criminal had to face it

-at one time or another.

-The last man to be executed

-on the square, Charles Meehan...

-..was hanged from a beam

-on this building in 1679...

-..for daring to be a Catholic

-at a time when that was illegal.

-Also on the square is Maen Huail.

-It's said that on this stone,

-Huail, son of Caw...

-..was beheaded by King Arthur.

-His crime was making fun

-of Arthur's dancing.

-I don't recall that story

-in any film.

-But there is one famous building

-to do with law and order here.

-This is now

-the oldest building on the site.

-There's been a prison here

-since 1654.

-But this one was built in 1775.

-It doesn't look

-like a prison, does it?

-Back then, the regime

-was completely different.

-People were confined temporarily

-for fairly short periods.

-Punishments were physical.

-We could transport prisoners

-overseas at that time.

-The only longer-term inmates

-were debtors, those who owed money.

-But in 1866, a new wing was built...

-..based on Pentonville prison.

-And that's what this is?

-This looks more like

-my idea of a prison.

-We've inherited the image

-of a prison from Pentonville.

-It was designed

-to hold 520 prisoners...

-..in cells

-measuring 13 feet by seven.

-The design was such a success...

-..that 54 other prisons

-based on Pentonville were built.

-This is what you expect

-from a prison...

-..having seen Porridge

-and various TV programmes.

-We've inherited that image from

-places like this and Pentonville.

-Cells all around us,

-one in each cell.

-The people of Denbighshire

-wrote to Pentonville...

-..to ask for a copy of their design,

-then they adapted them.

-Is it the same size as Pentonville?

-Is it the same size as Pentonville?

-

-No, it's smaller.

-A fifth of Pentonville, in a way.

-Pentonville is derived from

-the prefix penta, meaning five.

-Ruthin is just the one wing,

-which is all that was needed.

-So, this should be Monoville!

-Outside the 18-inch thick walls...

-..there are darker signs

-of the prison's history...

-..if you know where to look.

-One of the stones in the wall behind

-me is different from the others.

-It dates back to 1903.

-I know that because behind it

-is the condemned cell...

-..where they kept William Hughes,

-the only man to be hanged here.

-They didn't have

-a designated condemned cell...

-..so they had to adapt one.

-William Hughes had killed his wife.

-It was more or less a process.

-So, there was an opening there.

-Yes, they made a hole in the wall

-through to William Hughes' cell.

-He just stepped out of the cell

-and was hanged that morning.

-If it wasn't for that stone,

-you wouldn't know.

-I've made my way to Llannefydd,

-not far from Llaeth y Llan farm.

-But that farm there, Berain...

-..was the home of Katherine

-of Berain in the 16th century.

-Her story is worth telling.

-The parts that are true...

-..and the parts that aren't.

-Katherine married four times.

-That didn't happen often in her day.

-Her first marriage ended after

-nine years on her husband's death.

-One story has it that she had

-one proposal of marriage...

-..on the way into the funeral

-and another on the way out.

-Quite a woman.

-Sadly, the story's not true.

-But why spoil a good story

-with the facts?

-Her second husband

-was Richard Clough.

-There are a few tales about him too.

-Some said that he was a spy

-for Elizabeth I.

-Others claimed that he answered

-to someone more sinister.

-It's said that Katherine peered

-through the keyhole one night...

-..and saw him chatting

-at midnight, with the Devil.

-A little later, Richard Clough

-died suddenly while in Germany.

-Or did the Devil take him?

-Katherine married two more times.

-Through it all, and seeing

-her son Thomas executed...

-..for attempting

-to kill Elizabeth I...

-..she stayed true to the area.

-Having patronized dozens

-of poets and artists...

-..it's easy to see how she won

-the soubriquet "Mother of Wales."

-She's buried in an unmarked grave

-somewhere here at Llannefydd church.

-Only the stories remain.

-South of Ruthin

-is Craig-adwy-wynt reserve.

-A Site of Special

-Scientific Interest...

-..it's home

-to an increasingly rare creature.

-So, this area is

-called Craig-adwy-wynt.

-Yes.

-It's quite a substantial area.

-It's limestone once again...

-..but this end of the rock

-has been designated as a reserve...

-..specifically for butterflies.

-I don't know about you,

-but when I was younger...

-..it felt as if there were

-many more species around.

-There are some

-that have always been rare.

-But some that were considered

-to be common a generation ago...

-..have become much scarcer.

-One species that you will see

-in this area, Heledd...

-..is the pearl-bordered fritillary.

-There's one over there, actually.

-It's a pretty butterfly.

-The fritillary family

-are all attractive.

-An orange and black pattern.

-They really are attractive.

-We've been lucky enough

-to see one today.

-Why do they like this place?

-What attracts them

-here in particular?

-They lay their eggs

-on violet plants.

-The caterpillars

-also feed on violets.

-Violets are common enough.

-It's a combination

-of available food and the site.

-It's an open aspect,

-with different plants.

-It's perfect for them.

-How do you see the future

-for butterflies?

-There are numerous species

-of butterfly.

-Some are very common,

-and seen in a variety of habitats.

-Others are seen

-in very specific habitats.

-Their needs are specific.

-All we can do is provide

-the best conditions for them...

-..as far as habitats

-are concerned...

-..and make sure that the plants

-on which they rely are available.

-But there are

-wider concerns as well.

-Matters like global warming.

-No-one knows for sure

-how such a thing...

-..can affect small creatures

-like the pearl-bordered fritillary.

-Ruthin Gaol

-has been closed since 1916.

-But stories about one prisoner

-are still told by local people.

-I'm honoured to visit his cell.

-We're on the ground floor

-of the Pentonville block.

-The regime banned prisoners

-from talking to each other at all.

-There was a system in place...

-..to enable those in a cell

-to contact staff.

-A system of wires

-that ran to every cell.

-If you required attention,

-you pulled a string in the cell.

-A flag or something was raised...

-..and the man in charge

-of each floor of the wing...

-..would come to see what was wrong.

-We'll go into this cell.

-They're all the same.

-Coch Bach y Bala would have escaped

-from a cell such as this.

-Have you heard of Coch Bach y Bala?

-Have you heard of Coch Bach y Bala?

-

-I have heard the name.

-He's our most infamous prisoner,

-and he escaped from here twice.

-Twice?

-He was famous for escaping

-from places like this.

-Here's his mugshot.

-Here's his mugshot.

-

-It's a proper mugshot too.

-He was a serial escaper.

-He got out of here

-by digging a hole in the wall.

-He'd already fashioned a rope

-out of bedlinen.

-Out he went, down to the ground...

-..then up again,

-and he ran around the wall.

-He jumped off the wall into

-a haystack on the adjacent farm...

-..then into woodland

-near Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd.

-Eventually, he was found...

-..by a gentleman

-called Reginald Jones-Bateman.

-He shot him in the leg.

-Coch Bach had threatened him

-with a metal object in his belt.

-Jones-Bateman thought

-it was a revolver and shot him.

-Dead?

-Dead?

-

-He died of shock and loss of blood.

-And that was the end of him.

-What an interesting story.

-Whether in historic buildings,

-in caves or in the open air...

-..there are

-striking stories everywhere.

-You know you're in

-a very special part of the country.

-People were treading the soil here

-250,000 years ago.

-New industries are also

-taking root in the soil here.

-The past, the present

-and the future combine...

-..and each of them

-shown the same respect.

-That's what turns a place

-into a habitat.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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