Mountainous Wales Songs of Praise

Connie!

SHE SCREAMS

# The hills are alive... #

When I won How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria and

sang as Maria in The Sound Of Music in the West End

for five years, I often thought of returning to my native Wales

to climb every mountain till I find my dream.

# The hills fill my heart with the sound of music... #

And here I am and just look at that view.

This week I'm looking forward to meeting some

people from around Wales who've climbed a mountain of their own.

In more ways than one.

And do join us in some rousing singing here in The Land Of Song.

Yes, this week, Songs Of Praise is from beautiful Wales.

Coming up... A hill shepherd reveals his secret.

Strange sightings in the mountains.

Rock climbing that's changing lives.

Wonderful hymns from Llandaff Cathedral

and musical guests from around Wales.

Cerys Matthews, Steve Balsamo and Elin Manahan Thomas.

Some come up by train, others by foot but whatever you do,

come and experience the wonders of Snowdonia.

I have got a lot of walking and climbing to do.

From the Brecon Beacons in the South to the Cambrian Mountains

in the West and the Carneddau mountain range in the North.

Now, perhaps I won't be climbing every mountain

but I'll certainly tick off a few.

Here, in the remote, craggy rocks of Snowdonia,

there is a rare species that spends its time jumping amongst the rocks.

Surely this can't be its natural habitat. I'm off to explore further.

I have managed to track down and capture this untamed wild creature.

Matt, what brings you to the hills?

Well, actually, I consider this really to be my back garden.

Because my house is only just around the corner.

And this is one of the places I come to train

as a mountain bike trials rider.

So, what is mountain bike trials?

So trials riding is a specific form of mountain biking that

involves negotiating your bike over very difficult terrain.

That might be rocks or walls or even man-made objects,

such as skips and cars.

How long have you been doing this sport?

I started when I was 16.

I saw a video of a very famous trials rider called Martyn Ashton

and he actually inspired me.

I wanted to do what he did more than anything else.

It seems quite a risky sport.

Some might say it's too dangerous for them. Do you think it's so?

Actually, my personal view on it is the inverse.

I feel that trials is very controlled.

So I never take a leap from boulder to boulder

without assessing the different options that might go wrong,

trying to rule those out in my mind

and controlling every single variable.

Do you say a silent prayer before you do go? I might quote a Psalm.

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?

What part does God play in your life and in your sport?

In the Bible, it says that when you do something,

whatever it may be, work as if you're working for God, not for man.

And so I often try and think of that in my sport.

So I try and do this as if this is an expression of worship to God.

It's one way in which I can use my God-given talents.

Is this your paradise then?

On a day like this, it's quite hard to beat, isn't it?

Down by the lakes, up here in the mountains. It's really wonderful.

And it always makes me think, there's a verse in Romans that says,

God's invisible qualities and his eternal power

and his divine nature are revealed to us in creation.

And I can't help but just thinking that when I'm out here.

# Life is easy

# When you're up on the mountain

# You've got peace of mind

# Like you've never known

# But then things change

# And you're down in the valley

# Oh, don't lose faith

# For you're never alone

# For the God on the mountain

# Is the God in the valley

# When things go wrong

# He'll make it right

# And the God of the good times

# Is the God in the bad times

# The God of the day

# Is the God in the night

# You talk of faith

# When you're up on the mountain

# All of the talk comes easy

# When life's at its best

# But it's down in the valley

# Of trials and temptations

# That's when faith

# Is really put to the test

# Oh-h-h-h

# For the God on the mountain

# Is the God in the valley

# When things go wrong

# He'll make it right

# And the God of the good times

# Is the God in the bad times

# The God of the day

# Is the God in the night. #

High on the slopes of Cader Idris mountain,

the Chair of Idris the Giant, according to folklore,

is the Nunnery of the Carmelites,

an order founded by the Lady of Mount Carmel.

It seems that mountains are important to them also.

Hello, Sister. Hello.

Connie, come and pick a branch. You pick that one there. Oh, wow.

What am I picking? The red ones.

Just the red ones. So they are...?

They're redcurrants. Redcurrants. Ooo! Yes.

Do you think if I was to join as a Carmelite nun...

It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

What would I miss the most, do you think?

We do miss the fact that we won't have children.

I mean, when our families, sisters and that have a child,

I mean, it does tug on you,

but this is what God wants

and I know I can help more people this way.

I'd have got married and had half a dozen children,

but the Lord said no, there's something better.

Sister Ruth, you're the mother prioress at Carmelite Monastery.

What a beautiful setting. Stunning, isn't it?

Well, it's very inspiring because everything reminds you of God.

It's like a projection of God's glory, isn't it?

And so it's bound to draw you deeper into the Lord.

INDISTINCT PRAYER

So, Sisters, you're busy in the kitchen. What are you preparing for?

Well, the sisters will be going into the chapel

just before midday to say a prayer.

And, obviously, they need to eat, so a sister has to cook the meal.

So, today, we're having tuna and rice with courgettes,

which Sister Bernadette has prepared mostly.

It's a great joy to cook for the sisters. And, um...

I've not poisoned anybody yet. So... Fingers crossed.

Keep our fingers crossed. Not today. Not today, yeah.

Sister Bernadette,

how did you come to be a part of the Carmelite community?

I am from Lithuania and I came in prayer.

Because Carmelite is based on prayer and contemplation

and that is my part, my life.

BELL PEALS

And I shall put the vegetables on.

So that's mine, is it?

A doggy bag. LAUGHTER

Thank you. OK.

BELL RINGS

To spend a day with the Carmelite nuns,

to witness their commitment to God, praying seven times a day,

cutting themselves off from their friends and their family,

something perhaps I couldn't consider doing,

but a great privilege.

The Welsh Highland Railway here in Beddgelert

is possibly one of the most scenic railway journeys in Britain.

And its 25-mile track from Caernarfon to Porthmadog

really is breathtaking.

The railway is reportedly the oldest in the country

and it's been lovingly restored by an army of local volunteers

and enthusiasts.

I've come to meet Richard Buxton,

a retired clergyman that now loves to help out on the trains.

Richard, tell me about the railway.

Well, this is part of the Ffestiniog Welsh Highland railway system

that runs all the way from Blaenau Ffestiniog

via Porthmadog, Beddgelert to Caernarfon.

It's a stunning route, isn't it?

Well, this route runs through some of the finest scenery in the world.

And a great way for you as a clergyman to enjoy God's creations.

Absolutely so. You see both the very best of God's creation here

and, of course, you see the way that human beings interact with it

in a way that is harmonious and good and uses it properly.

And this is one of the most important things

that we as human beings have to realise.

We have to use creation properly.

TRAIN WHISTLE

The mountains and valleys at the foot of the Brecon Beacons

in South Wales are world-famous for their rich coal seams.

The coal from this colliery in Treharris was the deepest in Wales

and it supplied coal for transatlantic ocean liners.

Since the early '90s, the coal, the colliery

and its employment has all but gone.

But here in the valley, the community is fighting back.

Whoo!

What a day for it! It's incredible! Ah, I know.

Do you know, this is my first ever mountain

of the Brecon Beacons that I've climbed.

And you're at the top and look at the view!

And a readymade seat. Oh!

Amazing! So, what have we got here?

Well, we're on the top of Corn Ddu. You've just come up the rock step.

And then behind us, we've got Pen y Fan and Cribyn

and then, right over there, you can see the Bristol Channel and the sea.

So you don't get a view much better than this. It's breathtaking.

This is your natural environment. Do you feel at home here?

Yeah. This really is home, actually.

I love being in the mountains.

I'm part of a mountaineering club

and we spend a lot of time climbing or walking in the hills.

I also run a Christian outdoor centre half an hour down the road.

And we bring children up into the mountains.

We take them climbing, we take them canoeing.

And I just love bringing children up and showing them this creation.

So, what drew you to the summit centre?

So we took over running the summit centre three years ago.

And it's a business that's failed a number of times,

but it was built on an old drift mine to really regenerate an area.

It's got the most amazing indoor climbing centre,

it's got some residential areas.

And we took it on wanting somewhere where we could take young people

in South Wales and just give them an experience of God's creation.

How would you describe your relationship with God?

Well, what a question!

I just love Jesus and everything he's done for me.

There's times where, when you're climbing and you can be scared,

you've got to cling onto that rock

or you just sit in a corner in that rock

and you're almost in the cleft of that rock.

And I feel that sometimes, when you're praying,

you've almost got to hide in God's presence to get through,

to cherish being with him.

And so being on a rock face, you're so much closer to God

and you know God's present with you.

No programme from Wales would be complete

without a hymn sung in Welsh.

Here's Cerys Matthews' unique rendition of Arglwydd Dyma Fi.

I Hear Thy Welcome Voice.

By now, my journey has taken me

to the Cambrian mountain range in West Wales

and the small rural village of Ponterwyd.

When I grew up on a farm not too farm from here,

high on a hill was not a lonely goatherd, but a solitary shepherd.

And I took every opportunity to pretend to be one.

Yes, that's me.

Well, I've come to meet an extraordinary man

who's quite possibly one of the last remaining shepherds in Wales.

His story of how he's had to climb every mountain in his personal life

whilst working on this uncompromising terrain

is truly inspirational.

I'm about to meet up with him in one of the most hectic periods

of the farming calendar, shearing season.

H-H-Help.

BLEATING

Erwyd, what do you love about your job?

Well, it's the change of scenery.

My work takes me from Ynyslas by the sea,

right over Pumlumon to Elan Valley.

And nobody can wish for more.

Now, you live next to the chapel. How many years have you lived there?

About 38 years, I think. 38 years. Wow!

You must have heard a few sermons. Any good ones?

Well, sermons to me are something

that I have something to think about the next day.

Whilst you're tending your flocks. That's right, yeah.

So, what is the art of shepherding?

Shepherding is synonymous with caring.

You know, it's part of life.

It's a wonderful part of life.

Pull it flat against the skin.

And just keeping pushing?

Yes, yes. Down. Wow!

It must be a bit tickly. Yes, that's right.

I think she's getting a bit impatient with me.

Try it once more on there.

Wow! Bye-bye, sheep. Bye-bye, sheep.

The sheep's still alive and it's got quite an odd haircut.

Ridges. We'll call it Ridges. It's all the rage!

Ridgy sheep, all the rage. There we are.

Shall I put it back on it? Do you want it back?

I can give it back. You can be normal again. You can have it back.

I'll glue it on.

Well, this is a proper Welsh chapel, isn't it? I'd imagine so.

It's been here since 1852.

Erwyd also looks after the chapel

and the wider flock of the local community.

At a young age, he learnt how to deal with the hardship of loss

from his own personal experiences.

Have you had to climb any mountains in your personal life? Well, yes.

There was one, I found it very difficult to surmount,

was the fact that 31 years ago, my wife, Mari, passed away aged 28.

And, um...I had two children at the time aged three and four.

And, um...friends and family were absolutely instrumental

in helping me to bring up the children.

And now, thankfully, I have grandchildren

and that fills a big void.

And I always try to help everybody and when I was in trouble,

everybody helped me,

which is the way I think life should be.

ERWYD WHISTLES

Come by.

Well, I can't meet anyone with a talent and not have a go myself.

So we'll see how the dogs respond.

CONNIE WHISTLES

Any good?

He looked away, didn't he? He wasn't too impressed.

All right. Go on, teach me.

Now, then, are you fully insured? I think so.

Can I borrow two of your fingers?

All right, OK. You can have these two.

They're really clean, I promise. Right.

ERWYD WHISTLES A TUNE

CONNIE LAUGHS That was supposed to be Llwyn Onn.

That was brilliant!

Well, I think I'll keep practising. Yes, indeed.

LAUGHTER

# The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want

# He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

# He leadeth me

# Beside the still waters

# The Lord is my shepherd

# I shall not want

# He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

# He leadeth me

# Beside the still waters

# Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

# I will fear no evil

# Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

# I will fear no evil

# For you are with me

# You will comfort me

# You are with me

# You will comfort me

# Comfort me

# Surely goodness and mercy

# Shall follow me all the days of my life

# And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever

# For ever

# For ever

# For ever. #

We praise you for the adventure of the great outdoors.

Protect us and keep us safe.

In our busy lives, let us remember to give time to each other.

Help us face the mountains of worry as we trust in you.

We praise you for the life you give us

and we thank you for the ability we have to enjoy your creation.

And wherever we are, help us to draw closer to you

as you are close to us.

Amen.

Thank you for joining me

on my musical and spiritual journey climbing every mountain.

We end our programme with a very fitting hymn.

With words by Timothy Rees, God Is Love, Let Heaven Adore Him,

set to the rousing Welsh hymn tune Hyfrydol, meaning beautiful.

From beautiful Wales, hwyl fawr!

Next week, Bill introduces hymns for Remembrance Sunday

from the Collegiate Church of St Mary in Warwick,

remembers the unsung heroes

who maintained the nation's lifeline during WWII

and hears about the cost of service for one of today's soldiers.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd