Dwyryd-Y Bermo Arfordir Cymru

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-On high ground such as this...

-..with the long arm of Llyn

-stretching out on one side...

-..and Pembrokeshire

-in the distance...

-..you can appreciate

-the enormity of Wales' largest bay.

-Cardigan Bay.

-This is Arfordir Cymru.

-This time we'll be travelling

-north to south...

-..in pursuit of names, folklore...

-..and characters from the coast.

-With expansive estuaries, striking

-causeways, rich mythology...

-..and industry, old and new, this is

-an enchanting part of the world.

-From sprawling sandy beaches...

-..to quaint harbours.

-From low marshlands to steep cliffs.

-Our journey begins at the mouth of

-the River Dwyryd near Porthmadog...

-..travelling south past Barmouth,

-Aberystwyth and Llangrannog...

-..before heading up the River Teifi

-to the ancient town of Cardigan.

-Though the accents

-will change along the way...

-..one thing will remain constant.

-The sea, its history and influence

-on coastal residents...

-..will flow through it all.

-This week's journey...

-..takes us from the Dwyryd Estuary

-past Morfa Dyffryn...

-..and along the shoreline

-to the holiday town of Barmouth.

-Moel-y-Gest was a hill-fort

-during the Iron Age...

-..with its inhabitants

-in constant fear of attack.

-Today the views

-are considerably more peaceful...

-..across the Cob, built in 1825...

-..reclaiming 8,000 acres of land and

-connects Porthmadog to Minffordd...

-..which lies beside

-one of the country's wonders.

-This ancient site

-was formerly called Aber Ia....

-..before Sir Clough Williams-Ellis

-built his iconic village.

-Portmeirion embodies

-the architect's wild imagination...

-..full of colour and wonder...

-..as though an Italian village

-has been inserted into North Wales.

-Views of the Dwyryd Estuary...

-..extending to Talsarnau

-are picturesque.

-When you

-think of northwest Wales nowadays...

-..you think of a rural area...

-..but it was an industrial site

-during the 19th century...

-..before Clough Williams-Ellis

-laid Portmeirion's cornerstone.

-Leading up to 1913...

-..260 ships were built

-in Porthmadog and Borth-y-Gest.

-This area would've been teeming

-with masts, with men shouting...

-..trains arriving laden with slate,

-hammers tapping away...

-..and anchor chains

-screeching across wrecks.

-Imagining that today

-in this perfect tranquillity...

-..is enough to give you goosebumps.

-At the centre of the estuary

-is a wooded island.

-Ynys Gifftan.

-Legend has it that Queen Anne

-gave it to Lord Harlech as a gift...

-..providing a meaning for the name.

-Ynys Gifftan. Anne's Gift Island.

-The island appears on a map

-from 1645 and is marked as Skysen.

-There's also a record of it

-as Ynys Cyftor...

-..but Gifftan is the more prominent

-name and the one used nowadays.

-Professor Melville Richards

-suggested...

-..it was a derivation

-of the word skiff, a type of boat...

-..followed by an abbreviated form

-of Anne, Skifftan, Ynys Gifftan.

-A farm was run here

-until the mid-1970s.

-The farmhouse still stands

-among the thorny brambles...

-..as if it expects the residents

-to return home any minute.

-The land opposite the island

-is a combination of grass and sand.

-Derwyn Evans spent many years

-working the marshland of Glastraeth.

-For a stranger like myself, this

-landscape is extremely striking...

-..but you're familiar with the view.

-I worked here for nine years...

-..lifting the sods.

-How did you do that?

-I'd cut them up

-and two others would lift them...

-..load them onto the trucks...

-..and take them away

-to be repurposed.

-Where did the turf go?

-It went to all parts of Britain but

-the majority of it went to London.

-What was it used for?

-All kinds of things -

-graves, repairing Wimbledon.

-Wimbledon?

-Wimbledon?

-

-Yes, indeed. Wembley too.

-So, turf from Glastraeth

-was used on Wembley football pitch?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-

-What makes this grass so special?

-Let me show you a blade of grass.

-It's rounded.

-I have photographs of you working.

-Is this you here?

-How old would you have been?

-About 21.

-About 21.

-

-So you'd load the turf onto trucks?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-

-Load it and away it goes!

-I'm sure you see the sea

-throughout the seasons here.

-Yes. I've been caught out here once.

-I was carrying turf.

-I was just about to carry one more

-load before finishing for the day...

-..when I realized

-we'd been caught short.

-We couldn't cross the bridge...

-..because the water

-was flowing beneath us.

-We didn't want to weigh it down

-in case we went down with it.

-So we stayed there and sat

-on top of the turf for two hours.

-Is it easy

-to be caught by the tide here?

-Yes. If you're unprepared,

-you'll be caught out.

-These trenches fill with water

-without you noticing.

-When you finally notice

-these trenches are filling up...

-..you realize the other trenches

-are higher and you can't cross.

-The sea will always be your master.

-He always creeps up on you.

-It's not nice.

-Not far from Glastraeth,

-on considerably drier ground...

-..is the church of

-Llanfihangel-y-traethau.

-The parish's original church

-was erected in the 12thC...

-..on what was once an island.

-Over time, the land dried out

-but the church's name...

-..considering its proximity

-to Traeth Bach and Traeth Mawr...

-..makes perfect sense -

-St Michael's Church on the Beaches.

-No matter which way you look at it,

-this enormous estuary is striking.

-Just around the corner

-is the village of Talsarnau...

-..whose name, quite simply,

-means beyond the causeways.

-A causeway is a path

-erected to cross wetlands.

-A stage-coach

-used to travel this area...

-..from the village of Ynys,

-northwards past Ynys Gifftan...

-..to Abergafren, beneath Minffordd.

-In an even earlier era...

-..the act of crossing water carried

-significance, it was something holy.

-Before stage-coaches,

-during the early Christian era...

-..travellers expected tides

-in sacred places such as this...

-..and prayed for

-a safe crossing of the estuaries.

-Travelling is far easier nowadays.

-Three miles southwards

-is the historical town of Harlech.

-The name's meaning is uncertain.

-Llech refers to the stone

-on which the castle stands.

-Hardd either means pretty or tall,

-but one thing's for certain...

-..the stone is archaic,

-dating from the Cambrian Period...

-..more than

-four hundred million years ago.

-A small step away geographically

-but a huge step chronologically...

-..and we're on the trail

-of the early Christians.

-This coast

-is awash with beautiful churches.

-Since travelling by sea

-was easier than on land...

-..it was along these shores that the

-saints came to spread the gospel.

-This is one of

-the country's oldest churches.

-Llandanwg Church.

-The elements try their hardest...

-..to batter this small church...

-..and often, parishioners

-have to dig it out of the sand.

-They are loath to lose it.

-And who can blame them?

-It's beautiful, I must admit.

-We know little about Saint Tanwg,

-the saint to whom it's dedicated.

-Some traditions associate him

-with Bardsey, others with Brittany.

-We know for certain that a Christian

-fellowship has existed here...

-..since the year 430...

-..which means the early origins

-of Christianity in Wales began here.

-In spite

-of the sand's efforts to bury it...

-..the old church remains.

-It could teach us a lesson

-on several levels.

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-We're on a journey along

-the crescent of Cardigan Bay...

-..in pursuit of history,

-names and coastal legends.

-The only way to reach Shell Island

-caravan site in Mochras...

-..is when the tide allows access.

-Rhodri Dafydd

-is very familiar with the area...

-..and the whimsical nature

-of the elements...

-..as the senior manager

-of Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes.

-This coastal landscape before us

-is both barren and striking.

-What's this area called?

-We're sitting on Ynys Mochras,

-though it's no longer an island.

-The River Artro behind us

-flows into the sea.

-At one time, the river also

-flowed into the sea from the west...

-..which meant Ynys Mochras

-stood alone in the middle.

-On this archaic map

-dating from around 1830...

-..Ynys Mochras can be seen clearly.

-The Artro flows out here, but at the

-same time as the map was created...

-..it also flowed

-to the west of the island too.

-This part to the south

-has since been filled?

-Yes, to the south

-are the Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes...

-..and gradually over 800 years,

-they've been moving further north.

-It continued to happen...

-..until 1819 when they

-completely redirected the river.

-Since then, the gap to the west

-has completely closed.

-Morfa Harelch

-is a National Nature Reserve too...

-..and they're both connected.

-They're incredibly important sites

-geologically and geomorphology.

-They're also important for wildlife

-reliant on these landforms.

-There are all kinds here!

-Plants predominantly hold

-the dunes' ecosystems together.

-Some of them have names

-which baffle the imagination.

-The Welsh name for this flower

-is tag aradr, restharrow in English.

-Years ago,

-on land that was being ploughed...

-..it was a pain

-for people pulling the plough...

-..because this flower

-got tangled up in it...

-..preventing it

-from ploughing properly.

-It emits a pleasant smell.

-It's surrounded by wild thyme too.

-These plants are characteristic

-of sand dunes of this age.

-Look what's in front of us here.

-The Welsh term for it is Corhelygen,

-a tree belonging to the willow.

-The salix repens.

-It's one of the site's

-characteristic shrubs.

-It only grows

-in sand dunes where it's moist.

-You won't find it

-in many other places.

-Does it only grow to this height?

-Does it only grow to this height?

-

-It won't grow much taller.

-Rabbits graze on it but it

-doesn't grow to the size of a tree.

-Corhelygen with 'cor' meaning dwarf

-- small willow.

-It's obvious the landscape

-has taken years to form.

-You mentioned the sand sweeping in

-predominantly from Cardigan Bay.

-How do the dunes form and spread?

-The first thing you need is a piece

-of seaweed or driftwood will do.

-Sand will blow in...

-..and form behind it

-to create a mini dune.

-Once that's happened,

-plants creep in.

-It might get wiped out in a storm...

-..but the same process

-will happen the following year.

-These dunes are formed

-over a successive period.

-The more sand there is,

-the more plants it attracts.

-The further back you go

-in the system...

-..you can see

-where plants have grown.

-You get different plants

-in moist areas.

-You'll get even more plants

-growing under those conditions...

-..because plants die and create

-new soil to nurture other plants.

-It's a good balance, then.

-It's a good balance, then.

-

-Yes, it's completely balanced.

-It's interesting seeing

-all these changes occur each year.

-It's an exceptional place.

-The only other question I have is,

-how do I find my way home?

-The south's that way, so you

-should be heading in that direction.

-Let's try that then.

-From the sky, the area between Morfa

-Dyffryn and Barmouth looks calm.

-Closer to the ground,

-things are much livelier.

-From Ardudwy Beach, this stretch

-of sea is called Crochan Benar...

-..which is treacherous in a storm.

-A mile inland is

-the former site of Egryn Quarry...

-..which was in use

-until the 19th century.

-The stone used to build

-Harlech Castle came from here.

-Getting to these places is difficult

-if you don't know your way around...

-..but a path to the south

-leads to a fantastic vantage point.

-This route is called

-the Panorama Walk...

-..because the views from here

-are breath-taking.

-Travellers came to Barmouth

-along this route...

-..before a road was built in 1815

-and a train line after that.

-Here you'll get a bird's eye view

-of the Mawddach Estuary.

-Mawdd is probably a personal name...

-..as it appears in the name

-Dinas Mawddwy, many miles inland.

-Over time, the name Abermawdd

-became Abermo and then Bermo...

-..though Abermaw

-also appears on some signs.

-As you'd imagine, this route

-is very popular with tourists...

-..despite the fact that the medieval

-tavern that was situated here...

-..has long gone.

-They missed a trick there,

-didn't they?

-They say Barmouth was one of the

-first holiday destinations in Wales.

-Early holidaymakers

-flocked here to try a new fad.

-Sunbathing.

-John Jones or John Sam

-is a full-time resident of Barmouth.

-A former town mayor and the owner

-of a B&B who can proudly boast...

-..that his family

-has lived in Barmouth for centuries.

-I know you and your brother...

-..have been tracing

-your family's very colourful past.

-Both the town's history and

-my family's history is colourful.

-While they owned the smithy

-in Borthwen...

-..their history was respectable...

-..but something significant

-happened around 1880...

-..and all the men died,

-for some reason.

-I don't know if they'd been

-struck down by a disease.

-The women were left behind.

-My great-grandmother and her sister,

-two relatively young women...

-..started a company

-providing company for lonely men.

-Neither married

-and they bore lots of children.

-Because of that my great-grandmother

-was excommunicated from chapel.

-Some of their children were

-taken away from them by the courts.

-They were essentially orphaned.

-When it comes to my grandfather,

-she sold him when he was six...

-..to a farm in Dysynni Valley.

-They had no boys

-and they needed a farmhand...

-..so my grandfather

-went there aged six.

-Like any harbour...

-..I'm sure people

-had connections all over the world.

-The ships set sail from Barmouth

-to all parts of Europe...

-..down to the Mediterranean...

-..over to the Americas...

-..and up to the Baltic.

-Ships also docked here.

-There was always a mix

-of nationalities here.

-It was a rather cosmopolitan town

-which looked out on the world.

-We're approaching

-Captain William Davies' house...

-..known as Caprera.

-It's believed the captain...

-..transported a cargo

-from Barmouth to Genoa...

-..and it was there that he loaded

-another cargo bound for Sicily.

-As they were leaving Genoa...

-..someone asked him if he

-could accompany them to Sicily.

-The man happened to be

-Giuseppe Garibaldi...

-..who was an Italian nationalist

-who unified Italy.

-He lived on a small island

-next to Sicily called Caprera.

-The captain

-fell in love with the island...

-..and when he returned,

-he renamed his house Caprera...

-..as you can see.

-..as you can see.

-

-Names carry so much significance.

-You can see the whole town.

-Yes, between sea and mountain.

-The old town is on the cliff.

-The river used to fork here.

-A fork emanated

-on this side of the sand dunes.

-To this day

-we call those dunes Ynys y Brawd...

-..because of the connection

-with Cymer Abbey.

-When the abbey existed,

-all this land belonged to the monks.

-There are several places in town...

-..whose names

-have an association with the abbey.

-There's Craig Mynach, Cil Mynach...

-..Wern Mynach and so on.

-So this is the Frenchman's Grave?

-Yes, Auguste Guyard.

-During the period

-when the Prussians invaded France...

-..in 1880...

-..Auguste Guyard...

-..who was one of France's

-most well-known philosophers...

-..had to flee.

-He came here to live with

-his daughter and son-in-law.

-Paris was under siege and people

-were forced to eat dogs and cats...

-..and animals from the zoo.

-Victor Hugo

-feared for his little dog, Clara.

-Clara came to Barmouth

-with Auguste Guyard.

-No place of rest

-has a better view than this.

-It's wonderful, isn't it?

-It's magical.

-Some claim

-that a bunch of sailors...

-..decided on the name Barmouth

-in 1768.

-Truth is, the name

-was in use long before that.

-Perhaps for as long as people

-have been flocking here.

-Saints, seamen

-and wanderers down the generations.

-Tourists' modes of transport

-have changed throughout the ages...

-..but Wales' beautiful shores

-still attract them.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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