Porthladdoedd Pell ag Agos Hanes Cymru a'r Mor

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-PORTS, FAR AND NEAR

-From east to west, north to south...

-..Wales has over 700 miles

-of coastline.

-The population lived on the coast

-for thousands of years.

-Inevitably, the sea has played

-a vital part in our history.

-Today, the sea's influence

-has diminished.

-Manufacturers

-use haulage contractors' lorries...

-..to transport goods

-on roads of varying standards!

-Holyhead harbour

-is still an important link...

-..between Ireland and Europe.

-But the old traditional

-coastal trade...

-..which was so important 150 years

-ago, has more or less disappeared.

-Although the sea plays less

-of a role in most of our lives...

-..it's still a central part

-of our identity and heritage.

-Over the centuries, the sea has

-had a huge influence on Wales.

-Places that

-are now considered remote...

-..were once important

-international trading centres.

-The hustle and bustle has left

-its mark on Wales to this day.

-The most significant examples

-are the old Gwynedd slate harbours.

-The sea's economic influence

-is visible...

-..in the grand houses

-that the sea captains built...

-..after they dropped anchor,

-and retired.

-These are not the only tangible

-evidence of the maritime tradition.

-For generations,

-sailors brought home gifts...

-..from their world-wide voyages.

-Very few lads from coastal areas

-go to sea nowadays.

-But these old trinkets are displayed

-in houses throughout Wales.

-Auctioneers

-are in a privileged position.

-They get the pleasure

-of seeing the artefacts...

-I wanted his opinion on a nautical

-antique belonging to my family...

-..as well as other pieces.

-The owner insists it was made from

-the timbers of the 'Royal Charter'.

-It's a very interesting piece.

-The desk stand

-was carved out of hardwood.

-There's space

-for an ink bottle and pens.

-It says 'Royal Charter, 1859'.

-This piece is interesting.

-I know of many places in Anglesey...

-..especially around

-Moelfre and Amlwch...

-..where people claim artefacts were

-made from 'Royal Charter' timber.

-'The Royal Charter' must have been

-big if the stories are all true!

-But there is a problem here.

-You must have written confirmation,

-if possible, of authenticity.

-The claim in itself

-isn't good enough.

-You must have written proof,

-if possible.

-The fact that a story has passed

-from generation to generation...

-..isn't good enough.

-Some pieces are from far away.

-This poor soul isn't Welsh!

-It's an armadillo shell,

-from South America.

-Someone brought it back with him.

-Sailors often returned

-laden with goods.

-They are souvenirs of their trip.

-Very often,

-they're relatively insignificant.

-This is an example of the trinkets

-they brought back.

-What are these here?

-Butterfly wings.

-They're from South America -

-again, a very simple piece.

-A mere trinket, but it's typical

-of the gifts sailors brought home.

-It's entitled 'Curacao'.

-If you're recounting tales

-to friends or the owners...

-..this shows exactly

-where it came from.

-A sailor brought this jacket

-from India in the 1950s.

-Just like latter day tourists,

-it's what the seamen brought back.

-Yes.

-But it's important to remember...

-..that souvenirs

-which pre-date the 1950s...

-..are highly collectable.

-If it's possible to date

-an item before the 1950s....

-..it's more valuable

-than later examples.

-There's crockery, too.

-There are some examples

-from the Far East.

-These are Japanese.

-We call it 'eggshell china'.

-Interestingly...

-..if you go to Anglesey...

-..or an area

-with maritime connections...

-..Port Dinorwic, Borth-y-Gest,

-Porthmadog...

-..you'll find china cabinets

-with similar sets.

-Sea captains brought them back

-as gifts.

-Cups and saucers

-are neatly displayed.

-Very often, the teapot, too.

-But sadly,

-they're not worth much today.

-These came from a British ship.

-It says 'Elder-Dempster Lines'

-on the bottom.

-Presumably, every passenger ship

-had customized crockery.

-Yes, and this is

-of a remarkably high quality.

-'Aynsley' is a very famous

-Stoke-on-Trent company.

-It's interesting to see

-the 'Elder-Dempster' name.

-More than likely, the passengers,

-rather than the crew, used these.

-They're of a very high quality.

-I wouldn't have known

-that they were from a ship...

-..if you hadn't told me.

-The 'Elder-Dempster'

-stamp is on every piece.

-Very interesting.

-How much interest is there

-in nautical antiques?

-This is obviously a ship's clock.

-It came from 'The Ebani',

-another Elder-Dempster ship.

-My father sailed on it twice -

-in the 1950s and 1960s.

-He crossed from

-Liverpool and London...

-..to Western Africa, the Ivory

-Coast, the Gold Coast and Nigeria.

-I'm not sure how it ended up with

-us. I don't ask too many questions!

-The clock maker,

-Chadburns of Liverpool...

-..is a very well known company.

-It made clocks like these,

-and barometers, and so on.

-It's in very good condition.

-And it works!

-And it works!

-

-Very interesting.

-There's a big collection

-of pictures of ships.

-They chronicle the history of ships

-over the centuries.

-Why are so many

-from the 19th century?

-This is an example

-of what used to happen.

-Ships from this country

-sailed to Italy.

-Local painters offered

-to paint portraits of the ships.

-That's how so many

-of the pictures were painted...

-..and why

-they're still in circulation.

-Most of the souvenirs and materials

-that the sailors brought back...

-..are a link between

-the coastal towns...

-..and exotic international harbours.

-Souvenir production was an industry

-in itself in many busy ports.

-But there are mementoes

-that tell a more personal story...

-..about the relationship

-between Wales and the sea.

-A piece of furniture owned by

-Iwan Edgar appears ordinary enough.

-But the settle's history

-is part of Lleyn's history.

-It was made from the same timber

-as this ship.

-People would build ships...

-..and make pieces of furniture

-from the ship's timber.

-It provided a link between

-the family at sea and those at home.

-What about the ship itself?

-What about the ship itself?

-

-She was built in 1856, in Nefyn.

-Owen Gruffydd built her

-for his brother, John Gruffydd.

-She apparently sailed

-for more than 25 years...

-..mainly transporting slate

-from Porthmadog to Hamburg.

-The ship seems to be

-in Leghorn harbour, Italy.

-But according to archive records...

-..they sailed to Germany, mainly.

-This lamp is all that remains

-from the ship.

-It graced my grandmother's

-mantelpiece for years.

-I understand

-it was the captain's lamp.

-What was the connection

-between your family and the ship?

-My great-great-grandparents

-owned the ship.

-My grandmother called it 'our ship'.

-But it hadn't been in the family

-for over a century...

-..before I saw a painting of it

-hanging on the wall.

-The ship was built in Nefyn.

-It was an important 19th century

-Welsh seafaring village.

-Although Lleyn was quite far

-from large international harbours...

-..Nefyn sailors worked, lived

-and communicated with people...

-..from all over the world.

-English would have been a relatively

-foreign language in Nefyn.

-But its sailors mixed

-with people of all nationalities.

-The crew came from

-Holland, Germany and England.

-They must have been able

-to communicate in English.

-Other members of my family

-travelled further than Germany.

-My great-grandfather ran away to sea

-at nine years of age.

-He hid his clothes in the pig sty

-and played truant from school.

-According to my grandmother...

-..her father was shipwrecked three

-times before he was 14-years-old.

-The experiences

-of Iwan Edgar's great-grandfather...

-..were not uncommon in Nefyn.

-Nefyn is very different today.

-The place obviously prospered in

-the latter part of the 19th century.

-Nefyn today

-isn't all that prosperous.

-But many of the buildings

-date back to that period.

-Nefyn prospered by virtue

-of the slate industry...

-..although there were

-no quarries here.

-People built houses that were

-far more grand than the norm.

-Their mementoes showed the world

-where they'd been.

-The treasures that are seen

-in so many Welsh households...

-..are the most common connection

-between everyday life in Wales...

-..and the seafaring culture.

-But reminders

-of our seafaring heritage...

-..can be seen

-in the most unexpected places.

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-Our nautical antiques

-are inanimate objects...

-..reminding us of our past.

-But items brought back on Welsh

-ships still live and thrive here.

-Hedges, flowers and weeds

-have taken root all around us.

-Naturalist Goronwy Wynne explained

-the connection between the sea...

-..and the wealth of plants

-that grow in Wales.

-They've been arriving

-on these shores for many centuries.

-We have approximately 4,500

-wild plants in this country.

-About 60% of them are indigenous.

-Approximately 40%...

-..like this one, were imported.

-Unlike the mementoes

-brought back as gifts...

-..the sailors didn't always

-intend to return with the plants.

-We carry seeds with us

-wherever we go...

-..literally on our feet in the mud.

-More often than not,

-they were carried here aboard ship.

-A cargo ship,

-on its return journey...

-..would take onboard ballast.

-Often, there would be seeds

-amongst the ballast...

-..and they found their way ashore.

-There are dozens

-of examples of plants...

-..that arrived unintentionally.

-But they've flourished

-in their new habitat...

-..because that was

-conducive to growth.

-There is an extremely common one

-underfoot here.

-It's called 'pineapple weed'.

-Some people say

-it describes its scent.

-I can't smell it myself.

-No-one would grow this as a garden

-flower. It's nothing to look at!

-But it's everywhere!

-Its natural habitat

-was similar to that of this country.

-Like the American grey squirrel...

-..it's grown wild and is a nuisance.

-This flower has done the same thing.

-But some of the foreign plants

-were deliberately imported.

-Sailing to the ends of the world

-to find exotic plants...

-..is an old tradition.

-Interest in gardening grew.

-People craved something new,

-different and innovative.

-They wanted to keep up

-with the Joneses!

-They paid people

-to find exotic plants.

-What's the history of this flower?

-Pretty, isn't it?

-It's the Himalayan Balsam.

-It was originally

-a cultivated flower.

-It arrived sometime in 1839.

-The Asian plant was cultivated

-for gardens and greenhouses.

-Within 15 years, it had 'escaped'

-and started growing in the wild.

-It spread all over the country...

-..especially on riverbanks.

-This is the River Clwyd at St Asaph.

-It loves being on the riverbank.

-It grows quickly in the mud.

-Its colourful flowers

-mature into fruit.

-Touch the fruit, and it jumps.

-The seeds are scattered

-onto the river.

-The river carries the seeds

-and it spreads along the riverbanks.

-The sea brought exotic plants

-to Wales but more importantly...

-..it was by sea that people

-travelled here from far and wide.

-The Welsh Dragon doesn't have just

-one tongue - or just one colour.

-The Somalians arrived

-in Wales by sea...

-..disembarking

-in Cardiff's dockland.

-Ali Yassine is one

-of their proud descendants.

-My grandfather

-came to Wales in the 1950s.

-He was a policeman in Egypt.

-But before that,

-he lived in Somalia.

-I understand that he walked

-to Egypt as a young lad.

-That's about 3,000 miles.

-After settling and starting

-a family in Egypt...

-..he moved to Port Said,

-where there was a British presence.

-And he became a sailor!

-I think he came to Liverpool.

-He lived in Liverpool for a while.

-I understand that racism

-was rife in Liverpool.

-All the sailors talked about

-south Wales and Cardiff.

-Hundreds arrived in Cardiff.

-There was a substantial

-community in Cardiff...

-..by the time Granddad arrived.

-People from the Caribbean, sailors

-from the Middle East and Somalia.

-He felt more comfortable in Cardiff.

-And he carried on being a sailor

-after moving to Cardiff.

-He never stopped being a sailor.

-He was always travelling.

-He finally went back to Egypt,

-because my father was marrying.

-He and my mother came here with

-Granddad for a better education.

-The family put down roots here.

-They were drawn to

-the multi-cultural Cardiff Docks.

-When I grew up, we felt an affinity

-with the Middle East and Somalia.

-There were many different

-cultures in the same area.

-Yet there was no rivalry between us.

-We were putting down roots here.

-The parents wanted the children

-to know where they came from.

-I'm not sure whether

-we were welcomed!

-When I was young, we stayed

-in the Docks and never left.

-I saw the world from inside

-the Docks - that was our world.

-The outside world

-was unknown territory.

-By the 1970s - things were changing.

-The neighbourly Cardiff Docks

-were under siege.

-We were the last family

-to leave our street.

-We used to live in a street

-behind Windsor Terrace.

-The Council began redeveloping

-in the 1970s.

-They knocked our street down.

-I was eleven when we received

-a letter from the Council...

-..to say they'd bought the street.

-We were the last people to move,

-because Granddad owned the house.

-The rest were council houses.

-My father and Granddad

-refused to move...

-..until they could secure

-a mortgage.

-At that time,

-the Council provided mortgages.

-They refused to give

-my father a mortgage...

-..so we stayed where we were.

-Since then, luxury houses and flats

-have been built.

-They're beyond

-the reach of the locals.

-Those houses

-are worth half a million.

-My mother was offered a house

-for 1,000. It's incredible!

-How do you feel about the changes?

-The Council destroyed my community.

-We had a close-knit community,

-where people knew each other.

-We still feel the Council

-doesn't want a community here.

-No, Ali Yassine doesn't appreciate

-the new, 'fashionable' Bay...

-..that was built in the old Docks.

-Where some see progress, he sees

-the destruction of a community.

-When I was young,

-this area was much more natural.

-They've built hotels and flats.

-There is no architectural cohesion.

-I think it looks vile.

-It's as if they appointed

-twenty architects...

-..to chuck ideas into the pot.

-Welsh people become sentimentally

-attached to their birth places.

-The writer D J Williams immortalised

-his own area, Rhydcymerau.

-The romantic yearning is usually

-associated with the rural areas.

-But Ali Yassine's yearning

-for his area...

-..the part of Cardiff

-that has disappeared forever...

-..is as genuine and real...

-..as D J Williams' yearning.

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-We've already mentioned

-the cultural diversity...

-..of people who sailed to Wales

-and who settled here.

-And of course,

-the Welsh did the same thing.

-We emigrated to America, Australia -

-to several countries...

-..as we are reminded at

-the National Eisteddfod every year.

-But only in Patagonia

-was a Welsh settlement created...

-..in Argentina, in 1865.

-From time to time, the settlers'

-descendants cross the seas...

-..to settle down

-in the 'old country'.

-That's what

-Veronica Jones de Kiff did.

-Her Welsh roots are

-in Gwengraig Farm, Dolgellau.

-My great-great-grandparents

-lived here.

-Their daughter, Elizabeth Williams,

-emigrated to Patagonia.

-She married John Elys Pugh.

-John emigrated in 1890 to buy a farm

-in Bryngwyn before they married.

-He returned,

-and they married in 1896.

-They settled in Patagonia.

-It was a hard voyage for many.

-How was it for your family?

-I'm not sure where they sailed from.

-We believe they set sail

-from Liverpool or Southampton.

-It took them 28 days

-to reach Buenos Aires.

-My great-grandmother wrote home

-to say the voyage was lovely.

-There were no storms, or anything.

-They were really happy.

-There wasn't a boat to take them

-to Puerto Madryn.

-They stayed

-in Buenos Aires for 15 days.

-But she said their lodgings were

-great and they enjoyed themselves.

-They sailed from Buenos Aires

-to Puerto Madryn.

-Although it only took four days,

-the weather was atrocious.

-But they arrived safely.

-They took a train

-from Puerto Madryn to Trelew.

-The train stopped in Trelew.

-They rode on horseback

-for 20 miles to reach the farm.

-It was an incredibly long journey!

-It's so different today.

-It only takes me 15 hours by air...

-..and then another two hours

-to reach Patagonia.

-Door to door within a day.

-Was the landscape very different?

-Totally different.

-We're surrounded by mountains.

-The Gaiman is flat -

-it's like a desert.

-I'm sure it was hard initially.

-It never rains there -

-the sun always shines.

-Are you surprised so many Welshmen

-ventured so far a century ago?

-No-one lived in Patagonia

-at that time.

-The Argentine government

-sold the land cheaply.

-They were very adventurous.

-It was a desert -

-they had to start from scratch.

-They built the canals, cultivated

-the land and kept animals.

-They were lucky that the native

-Argentine Indians were friendly.

-They made friends,

-swapped food and clothes.

-It was an adventure - and luckily,

-the natives were friendly.

-Our interest

-in Argentinean history...

-..revolves around

-Patagonia's Welsh colony.

-But Argentina in the 19th century...

-..attracted pilgrims

-from all over the world.

-Just like the sea created

-multi-cultural communities...

-..in harbours like Cardiff,

-Patagonia's new Welsh community...

-..played host to people

-of all nationalities.

-There are many people

-from Germany and Ireland.

-There are also

-Italian and Spanish communities.

-There's a strange mix there.

-There isn't a single person

-who is originally from Argentina.

-I don't look like an Argentinean.

-I have different blood.

-My great-great-grandmother

-on my mother's side...

-..came from Africa.

-I have African blood.

-Exactly a century later,

-you came to Wales.

-I didn't realize there was

-such a strong link with Wales.

-I decided to come here

-to learn Welsh.

-I knew a few words

-and I could count.

-I decided to come to Wales

-to learn Welsh.

-I also got to know my family.

-Coming here and seeing

-the house was amazing.

-I never imagined I'd do this.

-It's an incredible experience.

-I've learnt Welsh.

-I married a Welshman

-and decided to stay!

-By the time Veronica

-returned to her Welsh roots...

-..the golden age

-of sea voyaging was over.

-People still sail

-to Ireland or France.

-Others enjoy luxurious holidays

-aboard pleasure cruises.

-But ships aren't the first choice

-of contemporary travellers.

-In 1952, Comet One

-flew from London to Johannesburg.

-It was the first time the general

-public could travel by jet plane.

-They could fly from one end

-of the earth to the other in hours.

-The jet was ideal for travelling

-from continent to continent.

-The maritime industries suffered in

-the second part of the 20th century.

-Hand in hand with

-the decline in passenger ships...

-..the Merchant Navy

-was also in decline.

-By the 1970s, huge ships

-transported massive loads...

-..using only a handful of crew.

-The ships that brought men

-from Somalia to Cardiff...

-..that exported slate

-from Porthmadog to Australia...

-..belonged to a vanished age.

-But the sea

-didn't stop influencing...

-..the Welsh character and culture.

-The sea attracts people

-to Wales in their thousands.

-They no longer confine themselves

-to a few close-knit communities...

-..as they once did in Cardiff Docks.

-People who have settled here

-to enjoy the seaside...

-..are to be found

-all over the coast.

-Old seafaring communities

-have become holiday villages.

-They're just as dependent on

-the sea as they were 150 years ago.

-But the sea's influence on the local

-community is very different.

-Bedwyr Rees' family experienced

-these changes in Moelfre, Anglesey.

-You come from a family of sailors.

-My grandparents

-were from seafaring families.

-Granddad came from Moelfre,

-my grandmother from Dulas.

-They couldn't have lived closer

-to the sea!

-Many of your family went to sea.

-My Granddad's side

-went on the coasters.

-My Grandmother's family

-were deep sea sailors.

-But not your generation?

-That is the general case -

-the connection's been broken.

-There were about 40 ship captains

-here in the 1940s.

-Only two of my generation went

-to sea. That's quite a difference.

-I'm sure all Moelfre families

-have their own stories to tell.

-Yes! We've all got our stories.

-A favourite family story

-involves a 12-year-old lad.

-He worked on the farm behind us.

-He was ploughing a cliff top field.

-He miscalculated

-and went too near the edge.

-The plough fell over

-the precipice...

-..dragging the horse with it

-to its death.

-The little boy panicked.

-He waved at a ship in the bay.

-The ship sent a boat towards him. He

-went to sea without telling anyone.

-The family assumed he was dead.

-Bodies weren't always

-recovered from the sea.

-But the boy sailed to Australia

-and was away for 18 months.

-Before going home to his family,

-or anyone else...

-..he knocked on the door

-of the farm.

-He'd made his money on the ship -

-and he paid for the horse...

-..before going to see

-his own family!

-That particular field

-probably had a name years ago.

-But the names of fields

-are forgotten by now.

-That's the fate of the Welsh names

-for coves and crannies, too.

-People lived on the coast

-and earned a living at sea.

-If you work at sea, each part

-of the coast must be named...

-..in order to discuss laying down

-fishing nets, and so on.

-There are precise names

-for every point on the coast.

-This little spot to my left

-is called 'Porth Llester'.

-'Llester' means vessel.

-The name features in the tale

-of Branwen from The Mabinogi.

-'Porth Llester' literally means

-'Vessel Port'.

-My great-grandmother used to say,

-"That was a good vessel"...

-..when referring to a sound ship.

-The name of the sea itself

-can be seen in some names.

-'Trwyn Morcyn'

-is on the other side of the bay.

-Translated,

-it means 'the sea before a storm'.

-When the sea rises, it's a warning

-that the weather is turning.

-'Traeth Moryn' is a private beach.

-'Moryn' is a Welsh word for wave.

-Granddad used to say if you see

-a 'moryn', you should come ashore.

-It meant the sea could become rough.

-What about other names

-that are dear to you?

-'Y Glwyd' is behind me.

-You could moor a ship

-in an easterly wind.

-Easterly winds are dangerous.

-It's a place of shelter.

-'Trwyn Pen Bonc' or 'Trwyn Cripil'

-were nice place names.

-That's where we spent

-almost all our summers fishing.

-Why 'Trwyn Cripil'?

-Why 'Trwyn Cripil'?

-

-I assume it derives from 'cripple'.

-There are several splits in

-the rock. It's a dangerous place!

-It would be all too easy

-to break a leg!

-Perhaps someone

-did break a leg there.

-How much are these names used today?

-I'm worried they're not handed

-down through the generations...

-..or that they've become Anglicised.

-People don't depend

-on the sea any more.

-The sea doesn't provide a living -

-it's used for pleasure.

-We no longer need the old names.

-People aren't marrying

-within the community.

-People move away,

-immigrants come in.

-The linguistic treasures aren't

-being handed down in the same way.

-'Trwyn Cripil'

-has become 'Fisherman's Rock'.

-'Porth Neigl'

-has become 'Old Lifeboat Beach'.

-'Ynys Moelfre'

-has become 'Rat Island'.

-It's very sad.

-But some people still use

-the old terms. Long may it continue.

-Moelfre is typical

-of a coastal village...

-..that's attracted English tourists

-during the 20th century.

-It's sadly familiar to see the local

-culture being eroded by incomers.

-But tourism in Wales,

-like the rest of Britain...

-..has changed dramatically

-in recent years.

-Welsh people want to ensure that

-the new generation of tourists...

-..have a better understanding

-of the history and culture...

-..of our coastal communities.

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-Throughout Wales, the influence

-of seafaring tourism...

-..is at its most obvious

-in Pwllheli.

-The town's Marina

-has been a contentious issue.

-The argument rages on.

-Experienced sailor, Richard Tudor,

-was raised in Pwllheli.

-He's witnessed the changes

-in the town's character.

-Over the past ten years,

-Pwllheli has grown.

-The boats include

-small 30 foot ones...

-..to ones of 50 plus feet.

-It's a lovely place.

-This is my home - I love it!

-What's this worth?

-Unfortunately,

-more of these are arriving.

-This one's worth about 250,000.

-There's a lot of money here.

-Strangely,

-the owners rarely use the boats...

-..in spite of their huge

-investment. It doesn't make sense.

-But once you've left the Marina

-and you're out in the bay...

-..you can understand why

-there's nothing quite like it.

-I'm sure

-it's a worthwhile investment.

-How many local people sail by now?

-The number of boats has increased.

-There are a few Welsh people here.

-I wish more of us took advantage

-of what we have...

-..the beauty of the place...

-..and the pleasure

-of being out on a sailing boat.

-I've had wonderful experiences

-and a great deal of pleasure.

-I also share my experiences.

-Do you remember

-the first time you sailed?

-Yes!

-Pwllheli was very different then.

-I was raised by the seaside.

-I looked out at sea,

-and would often say...

-.."I'd like to go out

-on a boat one day."

-I remember my first little

-10 foot Mirror dinghy.

-My brother and I learned

-to sail and race.

-It was fun - I used to get

-my friends to come with us.

-It was a very happy childhood.

-Naturally enough,

-the sea inspired Richard Tudor.

-But an English hero inspired him

-to venture further afield.

-I had the idea after

-reading in sailing magazines...

-..about Sir Francis Chicester's

-single-handed...

-..round-the-world voyage

-in the 1960s and early 1970s.

-But I didn't do anything

-about it for years.

-The boat and the technology

-had changed.

-He sailed in a small 40 foot boat.

-My boat was 60 foot.

-There were many differences.

-He was on his own, too.

-I sailed with a crew.

-I'm sure there's something

-to be said for both methods.

-There were times when I hated it.

-There were also times

-when I loved being out at sea...

-..with all its beauty.

-But at other times,

-I wanted to be somewhere else.

-You're instructing others now.

-Yes - my feet are firmly

-on the ground, at last!

-Travelling has come

-to an end for me.

-I'm working in a college

-not far from Pwllheli.

-We're holding vocational courses.

-We prepare youngsters

-for life at sea...

-..working on boats such as these.

-I enjoy seeing the youngsters

-showing an interest.

-Hopefully,

-they'll make a decent living.

-That's the challenge that's

-facing communities like Pwllheli.

-The attitude of certain Welsh people

-is still negative towards tourism.

-We've been happy to allow outsiders

-to seize the job opportunities...

-..that the leisure industry offers.

-Eluned Haf's mission

-is to change that attitude.

-She promotes sustainable

-tourism in the coastal areas.

-Wales could benefit

-from the experience...

-..of other Celtic countries.

-In Brittany, it's customary

-to instruct and educate children...

-..how to use boats.

-It allows the local community

-to be part of any development...

-..that involves water sports.

-We should investigate this in Wales.

-There are many joint-initiatives

-involving Celtic countries.

-There are all sorts of competitions,

-including international events.

-Youngsters are competing in all

-sorts of sports - girls and boys.

-We should see ourselves as players

-on an international stage.

-Unlike generations

-of traditional visitors...

-..the new wave of tourists

-aren't interested in sunbathing.

-They can take advantage

-of Wales' weather.

-Once you're in the sea, you're wet!

-It makes no difference if it rains.

-The wind helps us

-to sail and kite-surf.

-It gives us a chance

-to develop niche markets...

-..that people elsewhere

-are unable to develop.

-We need to take advantage of the

-climate, weather and environment.

-A priority is to attract

-more Welsh people to enjoy the sea.

-Wales is one of our main markets!

-Research shows

-that it's local people...

-..who make the most

-of the facilities.

-In the summer, more people

-arrive from English cities...

-..and from Ireland

-and even Scotland.

-British people come here

-to use our facilities.

-But more importantly, the local

-people don't want to miss out.

-People want a different way of life.

-Like me, they want to live in the

-country, but not far from the city.

-It's easy to go surfing

-on a mild summer's evening!

-People have regarded water sports

-as something for the rich.

-This isn't true any more.

-People like us

-have taken up water sports.

-We're Welsh, we know our beaches.

-We want to tell people,

-"Come here to try them.

-"We can compete with beaches

-and coastlines world-wide."

-Hopefully, the present generation

-of sports-orientated tourists...

-..will provide work opportunities.

-This will give employment to

-those living in the coastal areas.

-60-75% claim to be beginners.

-Within five years,

-perhaps they'll be more proficient.

-They can encourage

-more people to take part.

-They might even have

-children of their own.

-Statistics prove there's a great

-interest and it's increasing.

-Its potential

-to the Welsh economy is huge.

-Wales's share of the British

-tourist market is only 3%.

-But what we've got to offer

-is massive.

-The recent growth shows

-what is possible.

-More people are taking an interest.

-It's also a way of keeping fit -

-and it doesn't cost the earth.

-There's a shift in attitude which

-should greatly boost the economy.

-Our relationship with the sea

-has evolved over the centuries.

-In a mountainous country

-like Wales...

-..sea travel was once

-the most practical means of travel.

-The primitive boats

-evolved into ships and ferries.

-The sea could connect Wales

-to the rest of the world.

-As the industrial Wales became

-an important economic force...

-..our relationship

-with the world was strengthened.

-The sea brought

-different cultures to Wales.

-The Irish, Italians

-and the Somalians from Africa.

-Tourism has replaced

-the coal and steel industries...

-..as well as the large harbours.

-Tourism

-is Wales' most important industry.

-How we use the sea

-emphasises the changes.

-Today, the Welsh coastline

-is one big playing field.

-Tourism has had a major influence

-on coastal industries.

-Most of the people who've settled

-here first visited Wales on holiday.

-It's foolish to deny that tourism

-doesn't Anglicize areas.

-But today, we can take advantage

-of the leisure activities...

-..that are available

-all along the coast.

-The old seafaring tradition of Wales

-is ancient and honourable.

-We have a special empathy

-with the sea.

-It's part of our make up.

-S4C Subtitles by GWEAD