Pennod 3 Straeon y Ffin

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-Boundaries are there to be pushed.

-I'm Gareth Potter,

-a DJ and actor by profession.

-My parents didn't speak Welsh.

-I've always been aware

-of linguistic boundaries.

-This series is about a real,

-geographical boundary.

-I want to understand the

-borderlands' history and culture...

-..and meet people who live here.

-Does living on a border

-create its own unique identity?

-Come with me

-on a journey to find out.

-My route has taken me

-to Offa's Dyke near Holywell...

-..Chester, on the modern border,

-Chirk and Oswestry.

-Today, I'm in Powys,

-in the old Montgomeryshire.

-Welshpool, in the Severn Valley,

-is four miles from England.

-It's market day,

-so off I go to the mart.

-I have relatives who farm.

-I know nothing about the business.

-I've seen the glamorous

-Royal Welsh Show version.

-This is the day-to-day reality...

-..of sheep and cattle farming.

-What strikes me straightaway...

-..is the smell...

-..of dung and ammonia...

-..the sounds

-of the farmers trading...

-..and the animals.

-It's non-stop.

-Surrounded by fertile valleys,

-it's no surprise it's a big mart.

-It is one of Europe's

-largest sheep markets.

-The mart was in the town centre.

-It's moved to new buildings

-on the town outskirts.

-It's bustling!

-The farmers interrupt each other.

-I've heard Welsh, English,

-and unfamiliar accents.

-Right, then. This townie will

-try to understand what is going on.

-Are you busy?

-Do you come here often?

-Every week in summer.

-Alright?

-Are you buying or selling?

-Selling.

-Selling.

-Selling.

-

-Selling.

-Selling, I hope!

-Are you buying or selling?

-Are you buying or selling?

-

-Buying.

-Having a good feel.

-Where do you farm?

-Where do you farm?

-

-Dinas Mawddwy.

-It's a fantastic area.

-You've come quite far.

-Yes. It's a 45 minute journey.

-Have you come far?

-Have you come far?

-

-No.

-Are you local?

-Newtown.

-Down the road.

-From where do people

-come to the mart?

-All over Wales.

-From over the border...

-..from Shropshire.

-How far have you come?

-How far have you come?

-

-Wrexham.

-It's quite a way.

-How Welsh is the mart?

-It's not bad.

-You'll hear quite a bit of Welsh.

-Perhaps it's not

-as Welsh as Dolgellau.

-You hear plenty of Welsh.

-A lot of the people understand

-Welsh, but don't speak it.

-It's as if they're scared!

-I met one of the mart's busiest men

-in the canteen.

-Glandon Lewis is an auctioneer.

-Busy day?

-Busy day?

-

-Very busy.

-There are 14,000 sheep here. It's

-one of the year's biggest entries.

-There are 250 stock cattle....

-..and a cow and calf sale.

-There are around 30 of them.

-It's a busy day.

-What is the history of the mart?

-Why is it in Welshpool?

-It goes back a long, long time.

-Welshpool is a market town.

-It has been for centuries.

-We moved to the new market

-in 2009.

-The old mart was in the town centre.

-This building...

-..can hold up to 15,000 sheep...

-..and 1,500 cattle.

-As far as the market itself...

-..it's been a market town

-for centuries.

-It's an agricultural area.

-There is a lot of stock

-in the vicinity.

-It provides livelihoods

-for the area.

-Is it a very Welsh area?

-Well... how can I put it?

-There have been big changes.

-I've been in this job for 30 years

-and I've seen big changes.

-More people are moving

-from England to Wales.

-They only speak English.

-The increased number of incomers

-has an affect on the language.

-But the Welsh people who

-still live here are enthusiastic.

-There are many good things

-going on...

-..to keep the language alive.

-Welshpool is known as

-"The Gateway To Wales".

-Its Welsh name, Y Trallwng,

-means "marshy land".

-It was just "Pool"

-until "Welsh" was added in 1835.

-This was to avoid confusion

-with Poole in Dorset.

-It's a busy town,

-and as I walk around...

-..it feels like a historical place.

-There are fine buildings here,

-particularly The Cockpit.

-The horrendous and bloody practice

-of cockfighting took place here.

-It's a venue for more sedate

-activities now, thank goodness.

-This eight-sided building was built

-in the early 18th century.

-It was used for 150 years...

-..until cockfighting

-was made illegal in 1849.

-It's the only cockpit in Wales

-still in its original position.

-There are no cocks here now.

-The Powys-Montgomery Women's

-Institute is based here.

-Thanks for the welcome

-to your centre.

-It's a wonderful place.

-It's a wonderful place.

-

-Yes.

-We're quite choosy...

-..so you're very special.

-..so you're very special.

-

-Thank you! I feel very privileged.

-The women are members

-of local WIs branches...

-..Castle Caereinion, Aberhafesp,

-Newtown and Llanymynech.

-There are more than 30 branches

-in the area.

-I've asked many people

-who live in this area...

-..if they feel Welsh, English,

-or different.

-What about you?

-We're Welsh.

-There are many incomers

-all over the place.

-There are a lot in Llanymynech.

-What about you?

-How do you feel?

-How do you feel?

-

-I don't speak Welsh.

-Oh, I'm sorry!

-I'm the one!

-I can understand a little bit.

-When I was a child, we spoke Welsh.

-That's how old I am! They were

-phasing Welsh out everywhere.

-Before I came back in!

-Before I came back in!

-

-I understand it a little bit more.

-One girl said...

-.."If you speak Welsh, you'll

-never get in the hockey team."

-My grandmother said,

-"She's English."

-They'd speak in Welsh

-and I'd answer in English.

-How do you find this area?

-How do you find this area?

-

-I had a flower shop in town.

-I found it handy

-that I could understand Welsh.

-I remember people coming in saying

-flowers were cheaper somewhere else.

-I said, "These are fresh today,"

-in Welsh.

-Fair play!

-It was handy then.

-Very good.

-The WI is renowned for fundraising,

-supporting causes and campaigns...

-..as well as arts, crafts,

-cooking, drama, and much more...

-..including their calendars.

-Marian is in this.

-Marian is in the calendar!

-Which month is she?

-May.

-April.

-Well, well, well, Marian!

-I hope it raises a lot of money.

-Eva is in it.

-Where are you?

-Where are you?

-

-August.

-I'll have a look.

-Here you are, by the bins!

-I know my place!

-It's brilliant.

-Where are you? In January?

-On the front there.

-How much did we make?

-How much did we make?

-

-5,000, I think.

-You raised 5,000?!

-For Air Ambulance. Brilliant.

-I'll take this away with me.

-Coming up, a train journey...

-..and a hill walk with Rhys Mwyn.

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-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-My journey along

-the border continues.

-I've reached

-the hills and valleys of Powys.

-I'm told one of the best ways

-to see the area...

-..is by steam train

-to Llanfair Caereinion.

-It's a historical line.

-I met Glyn Evans, who volunteers

-with the railway, to hear more.

-It's one of Wales's

-loveliest journeys and valleys.

-In the 19th century...

-..local people wanted a railway.

-A narrow gauge line was built from

-Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion.

-It opened in 1903.

-They called it "the holiday line".

-There were two trains,

-except on Monday.

-It left Welshpool at 11.00am,

-so there was no early start.

-They had a week here,

-then three weeks on the main line.

-They relaxed on this one.

-There was never any rush.

-They stopped to gather

-blackberries and runner beans...

-..or cut pea sticks.

-Once they'd left Welshpool,

-they could suit themselves.

-But, for a number of reasons,

-by 1931...

-..the line

-had closed to travellers.

-The train still

-carried goods until 1956...

-..lime, coal, slag,

-and agricultural implements.

-It carried animals...

-..and wool at shearing time.

-The trucks usually came back empty.

-Trucks carried four tons of coal.

-But the train could only pull

-28 tons, or seven trucks...

-..because the line was so steep.

-TRAIN WHISTLE

-But after a lot of hard work...

-..volunteers managed to reopen part

-of the line for passengers in 1963.

-A company was set up.

-It took seven years

-to cut the red tape...

-..before reopening the line.

-One of the main problems was

-locating the trains and trucks...

-..and getting permission

-to move them.

-Trucks were stored at the site

-of the present Tesco store.

-British Rail wanted

-to get rid of them.

-But obtaining legal permission

-to move them was problematic.

-That was the obstacle.

-The rules about moving

-them were misunderstood.

-As it happened, a pair

-of horses were being shod...

-..in a back street smithy

-near the line.

-They borrowed the shire horses...

-..to pull the trucks,

-one or two at a time.

-British Rail was furious...

-..that they'd been moved

-without permission.

-But if it was illegal

-to move them originally...

-CHUCKLES

-..it was illegal to move them back!

-LAUGHTER

-So they stayed here.

-There's something

-very romantic about steam.

-Is it part of your life?

-Yes.

-One of my earliest memories...

-..was when I lived

-in Nant yr Eira, near Llanerfyl.

-We could hear

-the whistle from Talerddig.

-It was a westerly wind,

-so you knew it would rain.

-In the 1960s, I'd go to fetch

-medicine for my grandfather.

-We'd cross the road

-to look at the engines.

-I joined the line

-when I came back from college.

-I'm not much of a mechanic.

-I can't repair engines.

-But I do other things.

-I work in the shop,

-preparing snacks and sandwiches.

-I sell tickets.

-I do that kind of thing.

-The appeal is participating.

-Yes.

-It's like a big family of friends.

-It's easy to understand the appeal.

-WHISTLE

-I won't call it romance.

-But there's something special

-about steam trains.

-After the journey

-on the famous train...

-..I've come to an interesting

-place near Welshpool...

-..to meet archaeologist Rhys Mwyn.

-This is Caer Ddigoll, a hill fort

-dating back about 2,000 years.

-But who lived here?

-Was there a border to defend?

-Two thousand years ago...

-..there was no such thing

-as Wales, England and Llanrwst.

-There were no English.

-Everyone in Britain, certainly

-in the south of Britain...

-..were Britons.

-We call them Celts, but there is

-a lot of discussion these days...

-..about whether there was a Celtic

-people, or just a Celtic culture.

-It's more precise

-to say native people.

-There are hill forts

-along this valley...

-..stretching out

-to the English plains.

-They were probably defensive forts.

-There's an embankment

-and ditch here.

-They dug the ditch and built

-an embankment with the soil.

-There would be

-a wooden palisade on top of that.

-It's an Iron Age version

-of a castle.

-But there are many questions

-about their purpose.

-Were they totally defensive?

-Or did they have another purpose,

-such as a market or meeting place?

-The big question is,

-did people live here permanently?

-No-one has ever excavated

-here in Caer Ddigoll.

-The simple answer is we don't know.

-Actually, the Clwyd-Powys

-Archaeological Trust...

-..has bought the hill.

-So at least it's safe.

-One interesting feature

-is the woodland in the fort.

-Tree roots destroy the archaeology.

-If there were roundhouses inside the

-fort, perhaps with wooden frames...

-..the roots would

-gradually destroy them.

-If you see a pattern

-in the wood, you're right.

-It is ER.

-The trees were planted to

-commemorate the queen's coronation.

-Is this hill fort

-associated with Welshpool?

-It's just down there.

-There's no link with the town.

-Welshpool dates back...

-..to the days of the Normans

-and the princes of Powys...

-..in the 11th and 12th centuries.

-There was constant conflict

-between Wales and England.

-A thousand years ago,

-they were called Wales and England.

-Castles were built in the valleys...

-..to control

-the approaches to Wales.

-Then gradually,

-in the wake of the castles...

-..towns developed.

-So a town like Welshpool...

-..is a medieval market town.

-Rhys grew up a few miles from here.

-Archaeology

-is his main job these days.

-But I know him better as a member

-of the punk band Anhrefn.

-# Running up and down,

-running to Paris #

-The band pushed

-boundaries in the 1980s.

-They began gigging in this area...

-..singing in Welsh to mainly

-English-speaking audiences.

-How do archaeology and punk music

-come together in one man?

-When you're a teenager...

-..you question everything.

-Music is a source

-and a means to question things.

-That's why I derive so much

-pleasure from archaeology now.

-It's all about questioning...

-..and finding the questions.

-It teaches you not to always expect

-certainty or definite answers.

-But we must challenge

-ourselves all the time...

-..about what we think

-of these places.

-We have to reinterpret

-and be ready to adapt.

-From the standpoint

-of the Welsh language...

-..there has to be a dialogue.

-The biggest problems

-I've ever had...

-..is when questioning

-Welsh institutions...

-..even Plaid Cymru

-or the Welsh Language Society.

-The most controversial position...

-..is discussing the direction

-of Welsh culture or politics.

-The moment you start

-to raise questions...

-..words like "traitor" and

-"Englishman" are bandied about...

-..which is madness.

-You feel like that

-each time you open your mouth.

-But it's so important.

-If you can't express yourself

-or voice an opinion...

-..the freedom they all claim

-to search for, isn't worth having.

-That's totally fundamental.

-To return to the idea

-of boundaries and a border...

-..it's important therefore

-to push the boundary.

-Or to ignore it?

-It's a good question.

-We travelled Europe with Anhrefn,

-to places like Zurich and Paris.

-People asked if we were from Wales.

-We said, "Yeah, we're from

-Wales and we sing in Welsh.

-"Get rid of your passports

-and get rid of borders."

-So Offa's Dyke hasn't kept you in.

-That's the interesting thing.

-For most people,

-Offa's Dyke is a symbol.

-We talk of crossing the border

-and passing Offa's Dyke.

-When you live on it and are used

-to jumping over it every day...

-..it becomes less prominent somehow,

-psychologically too.

-I think we're used to the idea

-of being on the border...

-..linguistically,

-geographically and politically.

-We shopped in places

-like Shrewsbury and Oswestry...

-..and crossed the border.

-When we were in school, we went to

-gigs in the Music Hall, Shrewsbury.

-We crossed this thing,

-Offa's Dyke, all the time.

-So it wasn't a big deal.

-"Oh, we've crossed the border."

-We did it all the time.

-Although we were all

-aware of Offa's Dyke...

-..it almost disappeared

-from our psyche.

-We didn't have to respect it,

-because we walked on both sides.

-I'll continue to walk on both

-sides in the next programme.

-I'll visit Knighton

-and the charming Ludlow...

-..looking for more border stories.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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