Y Bala Cynefin

-*

-Wales, a country full of history...

-..where ancient tales

-continuously intertwine.

-The name of this river has become

-a symbol of rebellion in Wales.

-These superb views have attracted

-all kinds of characters.

-I don't think

-that's a coincidence.

-This week, we're in Bro Tegid...

-..an area teeming with characters,

-each with their own unique story.

-Some are historical, some legendary,

-some even more colourful.

-Some are true stories,

-some slightly more incredible...

-..but each one a part of us.

-Cader Idris,

-Aran Benllyn and the Arenig...

-..loom over a patchwork of farmland

-surrounding Bala Lake.

-It's easy to see why this area has

-attracted tourists for centuries.

-Tourism and travel has changed

-this landscape over the years...

-..but the same people remain here,

-holding onto this special area.

-This is our habitat.

-Our journey encompasses Bala

-and Penllyn's five parishes.

-Llandderfel, Llangower, Llanycil,

-Llanuwchllyn and Llanfor.

-The five parishes may be linked,

-but they are also very different.

-It's a rural, agricultural

-and very cultured area.

-It was Bob Lloyd, Llwyd o'r Bryn...

-..who coined the phrase "y pethe"

-in reference to Welsh culture.

-Our journey starts on his home turf,

-east of Bala, in Cefnddwysarn.

-Cynlas farm is part

-of the Rhiwlas estate.

-I'm the fourth generation here.

-I can imagine that farming

-has changed a lot over the years.

-It has changed, yes.

-This is a photo of Morgan Hughes,

-my great-grandfather...

-..with the traction engine

-that worked the thresher.

-My great-grandfather went around

-Penllyn with the thresher.

-But tractors came along

-and made the work easier.

-Farming has changed a lot.

-Generations grew up here, but Cynlas

-is important locally as well.

-It was the home

-of Thomas Edward Ellis, the MP.

-There's a monument to him

-on the main street in Bala.

-He's buried in Cefnddwysarn

-and was born here in 1859.

-He was elected an MP in 1886...

-..with the Liberal party

-in Westminster.

-It must be a nice feeling...

-..to share a home

-with a man like him.

-Cynlas is a lovely place.

-We've come here on a splendid day.

-You have been lucky

-with the weather.

-I do sometimes think...

-..that we don't appreciate

-or realize what we have around us.

-This area is a very cultured area.

-There are ample opportunities here,

-and Bala is well worth a visit.

-There are magnificent views

-looking towards the town.

-It's easy to see

-why so many flock to this area.

-One of the main attractions

-is Bala Lake.

-So many people have been attracted

-to this area over the years.

-This week, I'm going on their trail.

-I'm starting here, on Bala Lake...

-..then head north to Arenig Fawr...

-..back through Bala, ending up

-on the other side of the lake.

-Bala Lake, the largest

-natural lake in Wales...

-..attracts thousands every year,

-from Wales, Britain...

-..and maybe, just maybe,

-much further afield.

-On a cold January night in 1974...

-..as local families settled down

-in front of their TVs...

-..they heard a huge explosion...

-..and the earth shook.

-They rushed to their windows.

-Some say they saw orange lights

-falling from the sky to the east.

-Planes from Anglesey were scrambled

-to search the area.

-The official explanation

-states that nothing was found.

-Unofficially, people online claim

-to have seen spaceship parts...

-..and corpses being hidden

-by the army under cover of darkness.

-The same thing happened

-in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

-You're heard of Area 51.

-Could this be Area Fifty-wa?

-There are ways

-to explain the lights.

-They could have been linked

-to a military exercise...

-..or a meteor shower

-seen across the UK that night.

-And the explosion?

-Maybe the lake

-had something to do with that.

-Underneath me now is the Bala Fault.

-Earthquakes are caused

-by breaks in the Earth's crust.

-On that night in 1974,

-an earthquake was registered here...

-..measuring 3.5

-on the Richter scale.

-But in 2008,

-almost 35 years later...

-..lights were again seen

-over the Berwyn mountains...

-..and, closer to home,

-on the banks of Bala Lake.

-But so far, no-one knows

-what happened that night.

-Northwest of Bala,

-in the parish of Llanycil...

-..the River Tryweryn

-flows through Llyn Celyn.

-But the river flow

-isn't all that has changed.

-At one time, the GWR's

-Bala to Ffestiniog train...

-..steamed along where I'm standing.

-This line was closed

-in January 1961.

-But unlike the water, even if

-the railway was still here...

-..it would hardly reach Bala now.

-I can see where I am now.

-The railway and the river

-run alongside each other here...

-..past Arenig quarry

-and where Capel Celyn once was.

-..then out at the other end,

-the river and the railway...

-..ran down towards Bala.

-In 1962, a dam was built

-to block the River Tryweryn.

-The name became synonymous

-with oppression...

-..as the water level rose

-and drowned Capel Celyn village.

-The dam stands on the old site

-of the Tyddyn Halt station.

-That's not visible now, obviously...

-..but the old railway line can be

-seen in Frongoch, nearer Bala.

-The old station still stands...

-..over 50 years since the Bala

-to Ffestiniog line closed.

-We're in the old signal box

-at Frongoch station.

-It's among the smallest signal boxes

-on the Great Western, I'd say.

-You've got an old photo

-of the station.

-We referred to it as the belfry,

-and the platform is there.

-And this is where we are now.

-That's the signal box, yes.

-Do you remember the cost of a ticket

-from Bala to Frongoch?

-In December 1959,

-it was threepence for a child.

-A one-way ticket.

-This is the ticket.

-For an adult, it would be double.

-But in the old days,

-it cost a penny a mile to travel.

-There was an old couplet.

-"For threepence, the land will pass

-Like lightning for three miles."

-A penny a mile?

-A penny a mile?

-

-Yes, that's right.

-You must have heard stories about

-this line that not many have heard.

-The train came from Trawsfynydd

-one Saturday night.

-The cushions in the first class

-carriage weren't there.

-Someone had thrown them

-out of the train there...

-..to use in their own house.

-This is another gem.

-The River Tryweryn

-meandered like a snake...

-..slowly along the valley.

-It was a great place

-for salmon to lay eggs.

-Poachers would go after the salmon.

-The keepers

-would come up on the train.

-If the keeper was on the train,

-the guard shone a red light.

-If it was all clear, no keeper,

-the green light would come on.

-The guard might well have been

-slipped a salmon for helping them.

-He must have known the poachers.

-They probably went up

-on an earlier train!

-.

-*

-Bala's White Lion Hotel

-has a rich history.

-It was built in the 18th century.

-Guests include the noted traveller

-George Borrow and Queen Victoria.

-But the White Lion could well

-have more permanent guests...

-..than any other local hotel.

-This place has been full of ghosts.

-I sense someone here now.

-An older man, with greying hair.

-He's got a long black coat.

-He likes his beer.

-The name Huw springs to mind,

-but I may be imagining that.

-That's all I'm getting.

-I get the impression

-that I know him.

-I'm not sure.

-That I remember him

-from when I was a child.

-He's becoming distant now.

-That's all I'm getting,

-but he's definitely here.

-I've been here many times

-over the years.

-There are many ghosts here,

-restless spirits.

-We've come across

-28 different ones here.

-People who stay here

-experience things at night.

-Banging.

-Bad smells.

-Rooms becoming cold, or hot.

-They also see things, apparitions.

-In this room, we had a gentleman.

-He told me that he had come here

-to stay for a week...

-..to shoot pheasants at Rhiwlas.

-He wasn't menacing,

-he just wanted to tell his story.

-That he had come here

-from Grosvenor Park, near Chester.

-He wanted us to know he was here,

-and that was that.

-So, you came here

-to exorcise the ghost.

-Yes, we were invited here.

-I thanked him

-for making himself known...

-..and asked him

-to leave the guests alone.

-And that's what happened.

-There's an interesting story

-about this room.

-I got a phone call

-from the lady who ran the place.

-She couldn't go through this door.

-I asked if it was locked,

-but it didn't have a lock.

-I asked if the knob turned,

-but it didn't have a knob.

-They'd tried kicking it to get in,

-all to no avail.

-I said I'd try.

-I put my hand on the door

-and it opened, just like that.

-There was an old man there,

-an Englishman, very irate.

-He was angry that the maids

-were interfering with his room.

-This was his room,

-and he was in charge of the laundry.

-I asked the two maids

-to apologize to him...

-..and they did so.

-They had no trouble afterwards.

-And he's not there now.

-And he's not there now.

-

-No, not at this time.

-Are you sure?

-Are you sure?

-

-He's not there.

-When did you become aware

-that you had this ability...

-..to see spirits

-and to contact the other side?

-I was about 30 years old.

-My wife and I and another local man

-went to a house.

-We went through every room

-on the ground floor except one.

-We went into it and it was

-like walking into a freezer.

-A cold wind caught my throat.

-The hairs on my arms stood on end.

-Chills began

-at the base of my spine...

-..and ran up my spinal cord

-to my brain.

-I had no idea

-what was happening to me.

-I felt a bang,

-a big bang next to me.

-Like a sledgehammer hitting a rock.

-This foul stench filled the room.

-I couldn't breathe

-and I had to run out.

-I didn't know what was going on.

-That's when I realized

-there must be a ghost there.

-It was a new experience for me.

-It was a new experience for me.

-

-I can imagine there are believers.

-But there must also be sceptics...

-..who think that it's all

-a complete pack of lies.

-What's your response to those

-who don't believe what you say?

-People must realize that there are

-very few true psychics around.

-If that's a good or a bad thing,

-I don't know.

-But I've helped a lot of people

-to exorcise ghosts from their homes.

-What's supposed to happen

-when the dead disturb the living?

-All I do is try

-to pacify those spirits.

-People are afraid

-to talk about their experiences...

-..in case others make fun of them,

-and that has happened often.

-But there's nothing to fear.

-If you do have problems,

-go to someone who can handle them.

-Behind me, the River Tryweryn ends

-and joins with the River Dee.

-Further downstream, in 1804,

-floodgates were built...

-..by none other than Thomas Telford.

-Some years

-before his famous bridges...

-..at Betws-y-Coed,

-Conwy and Menai Bridge...

-..Telford served his apprenticeship

-building canals in Shropshire.

-All canals

-need water from somewhere.

-Telford wanted to find a way...

-..to transport coal from the

-coalfield of northeast Wales...

-..to the ports in Ellesmere.

-He wanted to build a canal

-and needed water to feed that canal.

-Where would that water come from?

-From the River Dee.

-It was an ideal way to create it

-and maintain it at a certain level.

-But why build floodgates in Bala?

-It's a long way

-from the industrial north-east.

-It is, indeed.

-Telford realized

-that it was possible...

-..to store surplus water

-in Bala Lake.

-When the River Dee was low,

-water could be released...

-..to ensure a constant water supply

-to maintain the canal's level...

-..and its availability to industry.

-I notice that Telford's floodgates

-are long gone.

-There's no trace

-of his floodgates today.

-This building and the gates

-were erected in the 1950s.

-I do have some photos here...

-..clearly from the days

-before health and safety!

-People working in the middle

-of a dangerous current...

-..with no harnesses,

-hats or the like.

-So, this is the River Dee

-flowing beneath my feet here.

-This is the Dee, yes.

-But about 100 yards up there...

-..the Tryweryn flows into the Dee.

-This is how these gates work.

-When the Tryweryn and the Dee

-are in full flow...

-..a lot of that water,

-rather than flowing downstream...

-..is held back by the gates...

-..and diverted upstream, incredibly,

-and stored in Bala Lake...

-..until such time

-as more water is required...

-..or it poses less of a flood risk.

-It has also benefitted

-the people of Bala.

-Scenes like this, flooded homes,

-were once fairly regular events.

-Fortunately, that hasn't happened

-for decades now.

-The way this system is operated

-is partially responsible for that.

-So, if you send water back to

-Bala Lake and control its level...

-..is it still a natural lake?

-I was taught, like thousands

-of other schoolchildren...

-..that Bala Lake

-is Wales' largest natural lake.

-But, in one way, it isn't,

-because the lake's level...

-..has been controlled manually

-for over two centuries.

-It's also officially defined

-as a reservoir now...

-..because there is an embankment

-to prevent Bala flooding.

-But it'll always be

-a natural lake to me.

-I've left Bala for the time being

-to walk the wilds to the north-west.

-In the winter of 1910,

-Llanelli artist James Innes...

-..came to sleep wild in Snowdonia.

-One night, he drank heavily...

-..and somehow woke up

-at the foot of this mountain.

-He fell in love with it

-and invited friends to join him.

-Those friends were artists

-Augustus John from Tenby...

-..and Australian Derwent Lees.

-None of them were local,

-but they all lived here a while.

-They were enchanted by one mountain

-in particular, Arenig Fawr.

-They slept in a nearby cottage

-but painted on the mountains.

-They walked all day,

-lugging their equipment...

-..then, when the light

-and conditions were perfect...

-..they painted scenes

-before the moment passed.

-Three wild men

-conveying wild landscapes on canvas.

-The Arenig school disbanded in 1913.

-A year later, aged just 27,

-James Innes was dead.

-Innes painted this image

-of Arenig Fawr.

-Works by all three survive,

-most in private collections, sadly.

-But they're a testament

-to this fine landscape...

-..and the colourful characters

-that passed this way.

-Running alongside Bala Lake,

-the old GWR line...

-..once linked Barmouth in the west

-with Ruabon in the east.

-By now, the Bala Lake Railway

-carries tourists.

-But the River Dee

-still flows eastwards...

-..passing through Bala Lake.

-It's a lake that contains

-some very rare species.

-We're in the parish of Llangower.

-Behind us

-is the parish of Llanuwchllyn...

-..and over there

-is the parish of Llanycil.

-All three parishes converge

-on Bala Lake itself.

-How big is the lake?

-How big is the lake?

-

-The lake is about 1,100 acres.

-Is it deep?

-Is it deep?

-

-The deepest point is 43 metres.

-Apart from being able to stand

-near so many parish boundaries...

-..why are we in the water?

-Many will be aware that we have

-a very rare fish here, the gwyniad.

-We also have an equally rare snail.

-The glutinous snail.

-That's a mouthful.

-That's a mouthful.

-

-It is indeed.

-How rare is it?

-It's the only lake in Britain

-where they can be found.

-It's so small and hard to see,

-and it hides under stones.

-It was first recorded

-in Bala Lake in 1850.

-It was recorded in detail

-for about a century.

-But for about 50 years,

-we thought we'd lost it.

-Why has it chosen

-this lake as a home?

-It seems that the water

-is of good quality, very clear.

-That helps the snail to live here.

-That helps the snail to live here.

-

-How will we see it?

-I do have one way

-that makes it much easier.

-Here it is, the glutinous snail.

-As an archaeologist...

-..I know

-from studying snail shells...

-..that they tend to stay

-in one particular habitat.

-Their shells show what habitats

-were around there in the past.

-Would it be possible

-to do something similar with these?

-What makes these different

-is that they have a mantle.

-You can see the colours,

-browns and greens...

-..and gold specks.

-For people who study snails,

-they must be very pretty examples.

-The mantle, a kind of jelly,

-probably helps to keep it safe.

-If a hunter wants to eat it,

-it makes it hard to get hold of.

-It's an extremely rare snail.

-It's on a list of critically

-endangered pond species.

-A list of 18 species

-that we could lose.

-It's so small, no wonder

-it was missing for 50 years!

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-We're roaming Bro Tegid...

-..an agricultural area

-where early rising is a way of life.

-This diligence may be one reason...

-..why some locals have succeeded

-very far from home.

-I'm now in the parish of Llanycil,

-north-west of Bala Lake...

-..on the trail of one of Bala's

-most famous daughters.

-Many characters were attracted here,

-but she left to travel the world.

-She never forgot

-where she came from, though.

-Here, in 1789,

-Betsi Cadwaladr was born.

-Her name is very familiar now,

-at every hospital in North Wales.

-But it all started for her

-here in Llanycil.

-When she fell out

-with her family at Pen Rhiw...

-..and it happened a lot...

-..Betsi escaped up here,

-to Craig y Fron.

-These caves fed the imagination...

-..of a young girl

-who liked music and dance.

-Her mind was never on her work.

-It was here that Betsi

-first thought about foreign lands.

-Those dreams would one day

-take her to London, Singapore...

-..Tasmania, Rio, India and China.

-Her final trip, at the age of 65,

-took her to the Crimean War.

-Her big inspiration

-was nurse Florence Nightingale...

-..cited by the British press

-at the time...

-..as a symbol of hope amid the war.

-Propaganda is one thing.

-Truth is another.

-Florence Nightingale,

-if you believe Betsi's stories...

-..had three hot meals a day

-while other nurses ate leftovers.

-Florence didn't like the fact...

-..that Betsi was Welsh

-and working-class.

-She may also have been envious.

-Betsi had received

-much more training as a nurse.

-Things eventually got so bad

-that Betsi had to flee...

-..closer to the front line.

-After she came back to Britain,

-the war had left its mark on her.

-She didn't live long afterwards.

-But we remember Betsi Cadwaladr

-more now than ever.

-She's one of Bala's

-biggest characters...

-..which says a lot,

-because there are so many of them.

-Another huge character

-is from the Rhiwlas estate family.

-The Price family can trace

-their roots back to Rhys Fawr...

-..who led the Perfeddwlad soldiers

-in support of Henry Tudor...

-..at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

-But despite the links

-with Henry VII...

-..it's a Victorian squire

-who's best remembered in Bala.

-Richard John Lloyd Price,

-or RJ as he was known...

-..was an author, a gambler...

-..an entrepreneur,

-an animal lover and much more.

-He was a man of his time

-who was willing to have a wager.

-Here is RJ Lloyd Price, Rhiwlas.

-He established the first sheepdog

-trials in Wales, and in Britain.

-The man himself.

-The man himself.

-

-I wouldn't cross him.

-There was something about him.

-He was willing to have a go.

-He was a colourful man,

-a true Victorian...

-..ready to take a risk

-and see what would happen.

-He had the oddest ideas.

-He was ahead of his time, in a way.

-Table waters, for example.

-There was a well near Bala,

-St Beuno's well.

-He decided to sell this water.

-There's a famous advert

-for these table waters.

-In Welsh, it stated,

-"cyn oered a nad asyn."

-As cold as a donkey's bray,

-which is some strapline.

-Along with the water came whisky.

-He couldn't see why we had to have

-Scottish whisky or Irish whiskey.

-What was wrong with Welsh whisky?

-The problem was,

-it wasn't all that good.

-It wasn't left to mature

-long enough in the barrel.

-They sold it too soon.

-Queen Victoria

-was given a whole barrel...

-..when she came here

-in 1892, I think it was.

-We don't know if she drank it

-or whether it's still around.

-You talk about him as a squire,

-one of the landed gentry...

-..but he was also protective

-of this area and of Wales.

-Yes, he was, in his own way.

-I mentioned the sheepdog trials.

-He was at London's Turf Club,

-so the story goes.

-A claim was made that Welsh

-shepherds couldn't handle dogs...

-..as well as their English

-and Scottish counterparts.

-RJ Lloyd Price set up a competition.

-It was held in October 1873,

-at Garth Goch, not far from here.

-Every local dog took part

-in the first-ever sheepdog trials.

-Unfortunately, a Scotsman won.

-He lived in the Hirnant valley...

-..but he was a Scotsman,

-with a dog called Tweed.

-In a couple of years,

-a decision was taken...

-..to hold sheepdog trials

-at Alexandra Palace in London.

-This time, a Welshman won,

-the tenant at Cwmyraethnen.

-Fly fishing is the leading form

-of fishing in the Bala area.

-The Tryweryn and the Dee

-are full of trout.

-Sea trout.

-Salmon come up now.

-There are eels, enormous pike.

-When I fish, it's just me,

-the rod, the fish...

-..and nature.

-Once you catch a fish

-with a fly you've tied yourself...

-..your heart starts to pump.

-My grandfather

-opened the shop many years ago.

-It was one of the first

-angling shops in North Wales.

-I remember the first fly

-because it was untidy.

-I've never fished with it.

-Tying a fly requires

-lots of different material.

-Cock feathers, hen feathers.

-Fur. Rabbit, hare, deer.

-And wool from the fleece

-of a black ram.

-One fly can take between

-two minutes and half an hour.

-I'll tie hundreds in a day.

-You'll never master the craft.

-There's always

-something new to learn.

-At the western end of Bala Lake...

-..is the village

-and parish of Llanuwchllyn.

-Unlike the snails

-living in the lake...

-..someone once lived here

-who whizzed around at speed.

-Officially, he was RJ Edwards,

-but more knew him as Robin Jac...

-..or by the nickname Y Fellten Goch,

-the Red Bolt of Lightning.

-He was a Llanuwchllyn lad

-who raced on the Isle of Man...

-..and was a local hero.

-The consensus is that if the war

-hadn't disrupted everything...

-..he could well

-have become world champion.

-He dressed in a unique way.

-His helmet featured

-Plaid Cymru's triban logo.

-He was ahead of his time

-in the 1940s...

-..in displaying the Plaid logo,

-because it just wasn't done then.

-His nickname, Y Fellten Goch,

-came from his red leathers.

-Everyone wore black

-or brown leathers then.

-I heard later

-that a Douglas garage owner...

-..had sprayed them with red paint.

-Twm, you knew Robin

-and I hear he was a bit of a lad.

-Well, I don't know.

-His sister's sitting there!

-This is how I remember Robin.

-He was quite a character.

-He always had a cigarette

-in the corner of his mouth.

-These stories all point

-to a mischievous character.

-But he had a different side.

-He was a passionate nationalist,

-as you know.

-He wrote strict metre verses

-on cigarette packets.

-Here's one example.

-"The day after marrying her,

-Robert did something to cross her.

-"Back he went to his mother,

-And I suppose he's still there."

-He had hundreds of those

-around the house.

-At what races

-did he win these trophies?

-There are two

-Manx Grand Prix trophies.

-He finished fourth and sixth.

-There are photos of him racing

-in his first Manx Grand Prix.

-What year was this?

-What year was this?

-

-That was 1934.

-There's a photo

-of him wearing these.

-Every time he raced

-in the Manx Grand Prix...

-..he was given one of these.

-He was very proud to wear those.

-Then after 1948,

-he turned pro, as they say...

-..and competed in the TT.

-The Manx Grand Prix

-was for amateurs.

-He raced twice in the TT,

-finishing ninth both times.

-It was quite a feat for a man

-with no resources behind him.

-He was racing against factory bikes

-and big companies.

-I'm told he was quite a poacher!

-I'm told he was quite a poacher!

-

-Yes, he was a poacher.

-Would he poach fish?

-Would he poach fish?

-

-Yes, I suppose.

-And the odd woman too!

-When he went poaching,

-he had a lookout.

-The local policeman

-used to flash his torch...

-..then Robin knew

-that someone was around.

-Every now and then,

-the policeman got a salmon.

-Was he ever caught?

-Was he ever caught?

-

-No, no-one would catch Robin.

-Certainly not on his motorbike.

-Certainly not on his motorbike.

-

-No, that's true.

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-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-Motorbikes and poetry may have been

-Robin Jac's big passions...

-..but the two worlds

-only came together once...

-..in English!

-"Two score miles to scare 'em all."

-That's how Robin Jac

-described the Isle of Man TT course.

-To practise for the event...

-..Robin had his very own TT course

-here on home soil.

-A group of local bikers now follow

-in Y Fellten Goch's tyre tracks.

-Robin Jac sped through Llanuwchllyn,

-Frongoch, Capel Celyn...

-..on to Llan Ffestiniog,

-over the Migneint...

-..Trawsfynydd, Dolgellau,

-Rhydymain, over the Garneddwen...

-..and back to Llanuwchllyn,

-trying to avoid every policeman.

-Fortunately for me, our pace

-is more leisurely than Robin Jac's.

-We follow the same course as he did

-to test his racing bike.

-Through Bala to Llan Ffestiniog,

-Traws, Dolgellau and back here.

-It was similar to the Isle of Man.

-So, that's why he chose it.

-So, that's why he chose it.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-How long has the rally been going?

-For 21 years now.

-For 21 years now.

-

-That's quite a while, 21 years.

-Brian, you remember Robin Jac

-and you've taken part in the rally.

-He lived and breathed motorbikes.

-I'd like to show you this book.

-It's almost 80 years old.

-The motorcyclists' bible.

-Who's in it?

-Robert John Edwards, Robin Jac.

-Are these old bikes

-from Robin Jac's time?

-Yes, this is a 1949 Royal Enfield.

-A Model G.

-What kind of speed could this do?

-About 70, thereabouts.

-Seventy miles an hour?

-What about the other one?

-What about the other one?

-

-That's the same, 600cc.

-It's a BSA M21.

-This is Robin Jac

-coming around the corner.

-That was taken here.

-Yes, practising for the Isle of Man.

-He sometimes went at 100mph

-with a cigarette in his mouth.

-We don't go that fast.

-We don't go that fast.

-

-Thank goodness!

-Y Fellten Goch!

-Quite a character.

-Here in Bala, a linguist

-by the name of John Sampson...

-..discovered that the Romany dialect

-spoken here hadn't been corrupted.

-With the help of local gypsies,

-for the first time ever...

-..he made a record of their

-folk tales and their grammar.

-The two men who helped him

-were Edward and Matthew Wood.

-The Romany Abraham Wood family

-hailed from England...

-..but had spread out across Wales.

-some of them settling in Bala.

-Edward Wood was a harpist

-who knew countless folk songs.

-It's said that he'd fall asleep

-still playing his harp.

-But all it took to wake him

-was a pint of beer under his nose.

-That works for me too.

-Listening to Edward,

-John Sampson was convinced...

-..that it was the same dialect...

-..that Welsh gypsies

-would have spoken centuries earlier.

-But if he had the gift of the gab,

-Matthew was beyond compare.

-Matthew Wood was a handsome man,

-with black, curly hair...

-..who always wore a velvet waistcoat

-and long purple socks.

-They called him the old hedgehog

-because of his love of animals...

-..and because he moved so quietly.

-He sounds more like a character

-from Lord Of The Rings!

-Most important of all,

-he was a remarkable storyteller.

-He roamed the area,

-enchanting hundreds with his tales.

-Sometimes, he got overexcited

-and wove himself into them.

-This from a man

-who couldn't read or write.

-Matthew Wood stayed in this area

-until his death at the age of 84.

-But thanks to John Sampson's visit

-to the Bala area...

-..we can treasure Matthew's stories

-and local gypsy traditions forever.

-The Rhiwlas estate is one

-of the largest in North Wales.

-We're on the trail

-of a former squire, RJ Lloyd Price.

-Where are we now, Einion?

-We're on the way

-to find the dogs' graveyard.

-RJ Lloyd Price

-used to bury his working dogs...

-..when they were old.

-There's a graveyard here somewhere.

-Let's look at the headstones.

-Here it is.

-I've heard about this one.

-This is the grave of Comedy.

-"Here lies Comedy...

-"..the best

-and dearest of retrievers...

-"..accidentally shot by her devoted

-and heartbroken master...

-"..October 2nd 1877."

-Wow!

-Not much comedy for poor Comedy.

-"Here lies Belle.

-"Champion pointer of the world."

-"Five hundred pounds

-was refused for her...

-"..and she died as she lived,

-happily at Rhiwlas."

-Well, well, really.

-He truly respected his dogs.

-He truly respected his dogs.

-

-We can see from these headstones.

-They're not some bits of wood,

-they're professionally carved.

-Very interesting.

-Very interesting.

-

-And you'd never been here.

-It's all hidden away.

-It's all hidden away.

-

-Yes.

-We've got another cemetery

-to look forward to now!

-A stone's throw from Rhiwlas

-is the village of Llanfor.

-Here is the large church, Llan Fawr,

-that gives the village its name.

-It's said that Llywarch Hen...

-..the sixth century prince

-and poet, is buried here...

-..but the exact location

-of his grave is now unknown.

-But the Price family tomb

-isn't in danger of going missing.

-If you thought the dogs' graveyard

-was remarkable...

-..look what he built as a tomb

-for himself and his wife.

-He put money

-on a horse called Bendigo...

-..in the Kempton Jubilee Stakes,

-and the old horse won.

-He won a tidy sum.

-Some say he'd bet the entire

-estate, which is very dubious.

-But it was probably

-a good sum of money.

-He decided to build this

-as a tomb for himself.

-As you can see,

-there's a poem above the door.

-As children, we learnt it

-as we would a verse from the Bible.

-Not at school, but we knew about it!

-"As to my latter end I go,

-to seek my Jubilee

-"I bless the good horse Bendigo,

-who built this tomb for me."

-RJ Lloyd Price, 1887.

-After building it, he got the Bishop

-of St Asaph to consecrate it.

-Given the reference to betting...

-..the Bishop decided

-not to come near the place.

-They removed the stone arch

-and replaced it with timber.

-The Bishop came,

-consecrated the building and left.

-Then they removed the timber

-and replaced the stone arch.

-He was all there, wasn't he?

-He was all there, wasn't he?

-

-He most certainly was.

-He knew what he was doing.

-RJ Lloyd Price was an innovator

-in the world of sheepdogs.

-The estate's relationship

-with dogs continues.

-The current squire,

-RJ's great-great-grandson...

-..has been president of the

-Welsh National Sheepdog Trials.

-The annual sheepdog sale

-on the estate's land...

-..is also a highlight of the year.

-There are people here from all parts

-of Wales, and all over Britain.

-Most don't come to buy...

-..just to have a chat and a cuppa...

-..and to see friends

-they've not seen for a year, maybe.

-Looking back,

-what's the record price paid?

-I think that the record price

-at this sale is 7,300.

-That was a year or two ago.

-A lot of people can't fathom

-why the prices are so high.

-But a dog works every day.

-People don't think twice about

-buying a new tractor or motorbike.

-If you put an hour meter on a dog...

-..I'm sure the dog would work

-more hours than a bike or a tractor.

-It's easy to come somewhere

-and merely scratch the surface.

-But this area

-has so much to offer...

-..be that its history,

-its stories and its people...

-..and their contribution

-to this community.

-Who knows, today's stories

-might be tomorrow's legends.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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