Pennod 4 Blwyddyn y Bugail: Ioan Doyle

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-Ioan Doyle from Bethesda is one

-of Wales's best young climbers.

-After leaving school, instead

-of climbing professionally...

-..he chose a different route,

-sheep farming on the Carneddau.

-It feels like a path to me.

-I'm in charge

-of this path in my life.

-His climbing suffered

-because of the farming.

-I have a lot more to lose.

-Now, Ioan and girlfriend Helen...

-..have eleven acres

-of rented land and fifty sheep.

-We have a farm really, don't we?

-We have a farm really, don't we?

-

-Yes.

-Business and work

-take up all his time.

-Opportunities to climb are rare.

-Things went from bad to worse.

-Things went from bad to worse.

-

-I've broken my hand.

-Will he be able

-to carry on farming...

-..and reach the heights

-of the climbing world once more?

-He's still got it.

-The Carneddau are Wales's

-largest upland area.

-There are six mountains

-over 3,000 feet.

-It is also home

-to thousands of mountain sheep.

-SHEEP BLEAT

-Every July, the Carneddau

-farmers work together...

-..and drive the sheep down

-to be sheared.

-For the mountain farmers...

-..it's one of the busiest

-and most sociable times of the year.

-Today, they're driving sheep

-down to Wig Farm in Abergwyngregyn.

-Ioan's hand is getting better.

-It's a vital time

-for him to earn money.

-SHEARING MACHINES BUZZ

-It was still painful

-during the first few weeks.

-You have to push quite hard

-with the first sheep of the season.

-I really enjoy shearing.

-Many say it's the toughest

-and the worst job in farming.

-But I enjoy shearing.

-You go to a different

-place every day.

-If anything, it's one

-of the jobs most like climbing.

-It's very important for me

-to push myself as hard as I can.

-Shearing is one of those jobs.

-It makes you feel good.

-It makes you feel tough.

-Shearing is the most difficult job.

-You're a tough man if you can

-shear a lot in one day.

-Eilir Williams organizes

-work for the crew.

-They go from farm to farm.

-You go from one place to another.

-It's difficult to stop.

-I should let

-the young shearers get on.

-They have to learn the system first,

-then they can do it.

-Ben Moody and Arwyn Griffiths

-work with Ioan.

-The season is going quite well.

-The weather has been

-good this year.

-The first week is the toughest.

-Then it gets better.

-Five of us shear.

-There are about 500 sheep.

-We'll do about 100 each.

-It's done quite quickly.

-They get 1 for each sheep.

-The lads compete to see

-who can shear the most.

-They do it just for the money.

-But I forget about that.

-I just want to beat them.

-I was never fast!

-You feel yourself getting fitter

-as the season goes on.

-You push your body every day.

-It's painful.

-My back aches, everything aches.

-When you wake up, you feel rough.

-But you keep going.

-It feels nice to be in a team.

-LAUGHTER

-Ioan lives in one

-of the Carneddau's parishes.

-So he is entitled to graze

-his sheep on the mountain.

-It's a centuries old tradition...

-..that each farmer has his own tract

-of mountain to graze sheep.

-But Ioan is starting out.

-Today is the day

-for driving down the sheep...

-..from Braich Yr Elen,

-above Bethesda.

-Ioan and Helen are helping.

-This is where they'd like

-their sheep to graze.

-Ioan's sheep and lambs have

-never been on this mountain.

-Get round!

-Here, Jess!

-The sheep were born and grew up

-on the lower pastures.

-They will have to get

-to know their territory.

-It isn't easy.

-I'm afraid of turning them out

-on the mountain and losing them.

-I have to teach them

-what their territory is.

-They could end up in Nant Conwy

-and spread all over the place.

-It'd break my heart if I let them

-on the mountain and lost them.

-Ioan's friend Dafydd Em

-foresaw the problem.

-As a surprise, he bought Ioan

-a few sheep from this territory.

-WHISTLES

-SHEEP BLEAT

-SHOUTING, WHISTLING AND BLEATING

-They're used to it.

-They've been going up three or four

-times a year, for a few years.

-They know their territory.

-Hopefully, Ioan's sheep will stick

-with ours and stay in the area.

-That's what should happen.

-So will Ioan's new

-sheep stick with these?

-Yes. There's a roll-on effect.

-Nice, Dafydd!

-I don't know if they're here.

-Oh!

-Oh, Dafydd!

-No sign of ours yet. I hope

-they're hiding in the last lot.

-The other farmers in this area

-sort out their own sheep.

-But there is no sign

-of Ioan and Helen's sheep.

-I'm a bit disappointed

-that they haven't turned up.

-There's a chance they went that way.

-There's a chance they went that way.

-

-Have you finished?

-I thought you'd finished.

-Either to Tyddyn Du,

-or across the river.

-They might have gone to Cwm Eigiau.

-Someone might call to say where they

-are and I'll have to pick them up.

-They could be anywhere

-from here to Conwy.

-I shouldn't think they'd be far.

-Amid Ioan's worries, a friend

-from Ireland, John McCune...

-..has come to climb on the Gogarth

-sea cliffs, South Stack, Anglesey.

-Some of these climbs

-are world famous.

-But interest in climbing

-sea cliffs is new in Ireland.

-John has a secret

-to share with Ioan.

-People hadn't been there for ages.

-We went to check these huge cliffs.

-Look at these rocks.

-Hidden on a small, remote isle

-on the Donegal coast...

-..John has discovered one of

-the British Isles' best sea cliffs.

-Best-looking wall

-I've seen in a long time.

-Early in summer,

-when Ioan was busy shearing...

-..John and his partner were the

-first to climb this amazing cliff.

-They named it the Holy Jesus Wall.

-It'd be good if someone

-like Ioan could come over.

-It'd be good to see someone

-who has climbed hard E7s...

-..and see what he thinks

-of the routes.

-I'm not sure what grades they are.

-It'd be great

-to have somebody let me know...

-..either downgrade them

-or confirm them.

-My first thought, looking at the

-pictures is "Wow, that's a big wall.

-"I want a go on it."

-But another thought

-casts a cloud over the first one.

-Can I do it?

-That's a slight worry for me.

-Ioan hasn't climbed

-since injuring his hand.

-If he wants to go to Ireland,

-he has to resume climbing.

-This is Dinas Cromlech

-in Llanberis Pass, an E2 climb.

-When I broke my hand...

-..my first thought was...

-"..I can't climb."

-It was an automatic reaction.

-Then I thought, maybe I can't shear.

-It's still in me. It's very strong.

-Working and farming is safe.

-You know what to expect.

-Your head and body

-get used to the routine.

-You go to a farm,

-shear, and that's it.

-But climbing changes all the time.

-The hardest thing

-is to get back to the system...

-..of not knowing what to expect.

-As I grow older...

-..going from a place where I feel

-safe, to a dangerous place...

-..is getting a lot harder.

-Before, I didn't think about danger

-the way I think about it now.

-I have a lot more on my mind.

-I used to be focused.

-There were no distractions.

-I just thought about the moment.

-I have more things

-to think about now.

-I find it difficult to switch off...

-..and concentrate

-on what needs doing.

-There are so many things

-going round in my head.

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-IOAN WHISTLES

-IOAN WHISTLES

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-Mowgli, damn you!

-Stay there! Mowgli! Lie down.

-Oh, dear.

-A lot of shouting goes on

-when we're gathering.

-These are all our lambs,

-almost ready to go.

-This is the produce of Helen and

-Ioan's first year of real farming.

-It's time to sort out the lambs...

-..and decide

-which ones will go to slaughter.

-We've had the go-ahead

-to sell boxed lamb.

-We also need to tag them...

-..for when they're ready to go.

-It's not going well!

-Helen, come here!

-I feel OK about seeing

-them go to slaughter.

-We're doing them justice

-with the Loved Lamb thing.

-The lambs are without

-their mothers for the first time.

-It's an important moment

-for the Loved Lamb business.

-The journey from

-gate to plate has begun.

-I literally could tell you

-every one...

-..which mother they've come from,

-and the order they were born.

-The big fat one in the front...

-..she was the one

-that we had to lamb.

-The two twins that died,

-we skinned the biggest one...

-..and fostered it on

-to the sheep that had lost them.

-Just put them in, one by one?

-Just put them in, one by one?

-

-They won't walk then.

-Is that an ewe?

-What are you doing?

-I have to cut the horn.

-It's growing into its head.

-Hello.

-It's OK.

-What about the Texels?

-Yes, ideal for the box.

-So we have a grand total of

-15 lambs going for slaughter...

-..and sixteen to keep.

-It's not bad.

-The lost sheep were found

-after several anxious days.

-They'd made their way back

-to Bryn Eithin, their old home...

-..Dafydd Em's uncle's farm.

-We're shearing our first lot of

-sheep that were on the mountain.

-I'm so glad we've got them back.

-When there's 3,000 sheep on a hill,

-it seems like a pretty slim chance.

-Yeah, the first year of many,

-hopefully.

-These sheep will lead

-this year's lambs to the mountain.

-It's a new territory for Ioan

-and Helen's flock on the Carneddau.

-We're in the process

-of taking orders.

-We're doing it through Facebook.

-It's a free website.

-Three or four lambs...

-..have been booked.

-That doesn't mean three or four

-lambs, it's four or six orders.

-We sell

-quarter, half and whole lambs.

-We want enough orders

-for five lambs.

-They're entering a world

-that has seen better days.

-The coming years are crucial

-for agriculture in the area.

-I hope small farms keep going.

-It's not looking good.

-One of the last farms

-to shear on the Carneddau...

-..is Tal Y Llyn, Elfed Jackson's

-farm, near Llyn Ogwen.

-I'm happy so many lads came to help.

-This is what we do in the valley.

-We help out on each other's farms.

-They are gathering and shearing

-for me today.

-I helped them for a fortnight.

-The old tradition is still alive.

-We are a strong generation in

-the mountains. I see us surviving.

-It's important to keep

-an open mind to new ideas...

-..and to be flexible.

-It's hard for many of them.

-It's their way of life.

-Who wanted a lamb?

-We'll keep

-the sheep on the mountain...

-..to improve

-the quality of the meat.

-Nothing beats mountain reared lamb.

-We have to be flexible...

-..and different.

-It'll be hard.

-Elfed is a champion blade shearer.

-He's pleased that Ioan is

-taking an interest in the old craft.

-I bought this gadget in New Zealand.

-It keeps the steel level.

-It sharpens it.

-I'd say that's enough.

-OK.

-There's no noise now.

-The wool is heavy.

-It pulls on the skin, and there's

-a danger of cutting the skin.

-I don't want to do that.

-I started when I was twelve.

-I showed an interest, and that

-was it. I never looked back.

-I'm keeping an old craft alive.

-It's quite rare nowadays.

-We encourage

-the youngsters to do it.

-That's it.

-Try that.

-That's it.

-Always keep your thumb down.

-If it's on the blade,

-your thumb would come off.

-Keep it like that.

-Down and that way now.

-Well done. Keep going.

-Be careful round the eye and ear.

-Stop there.

-There.

-I hope to see Ioan competing

-in the Royal Welsh next year.

-He'll be fine after more practise.

-Well done. Very neat.

-Very neat.

-By the end of the shearing season...

-..they will have sheared

-5,000 sheep each.

-I'll be glad to finish.

-I've seen enough sheep for now!

-I clean up, as you see.

-I tidy up after the lads!

-That's the job done for today.

-Well done.

-I'm glad the season is over.

-I'm shattered.

-I haven't had time to do anything...

-..except shear, sleep and eat.

-As preparation for Ireland,

-I've chosen to climb solo.

-The climb I want to do

-is Electric Blue in Rhoscolyn.

-Solo climbing

-is climbing without a rope.

-It's very dangerous,

-but yet very safe.

-When you're at the bottom, you can't

-tell yourself, "You can't do it".

-You can do it.

-That's what you have

-to say to yourself.

-If there is any uncertainty,

-there's no point starting.

-There is no gear.

-There is no rope,

-and nothing in the way.

-Just you, your climbing boots,

-chalk and nothing else.

-Once I've started...

-..and I get into

-the climbing rhythm...

-..it's a great feeling.

-I never think

-of anything bad happening.

-It is a dangerous situation...

-..but it doesn't cross my mind.

-If I started to dwell on it,

-that's when I'd make a mistake.

-When I'm high up...

-..doing difficult moves,

-something takes over me.

-I feel so light...

-..as if I'm flying...

-..and there's a cloud

-round me to keep me safe.

-It's one of the best feelings

-you can have...

-..in any form of climbing.

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