Ardal y Copaon Natur Gwyllt Iolo

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-I'm on a journey

-to six areas in England.

-These areas are renowned for

-their beauty and incredible scenery.

-These locations attract millions

-of tourists to enjoy the landscapes.

-There's some excellent wildlife

-that you will rarely see in Wales.

-That's the main reason for visiting

-these remarkable locations.

-This time, my journey takes me

-to the Peak District.

-This area is less than an hour away

-from North Wales.

-Manchester is in the distance

-behind me...

-..and the peaks continue

-all the way to Sheffield.

-This was Britain's

-first national park.

-It's a vast, open expanse.

-Most of it is high ground but you

-won't see any peaks or mountains.

-Just rounded hills.

-There are reservoirs

-scattered everywhere.

-There are also wonderful lowlands,

-such as the Derbyshire Dales.

-I begin my journey

-near Dove Stone reservoir...

-..about 10 miles

-north-west of Manchester.

-It's the first week of May.

-This is the dove stone,

-a rock shaped by nature...

-..into the shape of a dove.

-Almost instantly,

-you sense that this highland...

-..is different to Welsh highlands.

-The sound of grouse

-is very prominent.

-It's rarely seen in Wales.

-The wheatear is far more common.

-It's a summer visitor

-to the highlands of Great Britain.

-My main reason

-for visiting Dove Stone...

-..is to see a mountain hare.

-It disappeared from Wales

-centuries ago.

-I'm not disappointed.

-This is a great way to start.

-I knew I'd find mountain hares

-in this area...

-..but I thought I'd have to

-spend days searching.

-There's one sitting

-50 yards away from me.

-They're animals

-that turn white in winter...

-..before turning brown again

-during the summer.

-This one hasn't quite

-lost its white fur.

-There's some white fur

-around its backside.

-In an area like this, a rocky area,

-you'd expect to see wheatears.

-I suspect the hen is nesting on

-her eggs under one of these rocks.

-The Peak District National Park

-is the same size as Greater London.

-Half the land is open to walkers.

-About 16m people live

-less than an hour from the park.

-A lot of maintenance work is needed.

-Gareth Roberts is one of the park's

-conservation staff.

-I visited Dove Stone -

-what a wonderful place.

-I saw mountain hares

-and all kinds of wildlife.

-I want to explore

-the highlands and the lowlands.

-Is this a good place for wildlife?

-Yes, and there's some

-unique wildlife here.

-Animals and birds

-that you won't see normally...

-..unless you're here

-during the winter.

-Many birds congregate here

-to mate during the summer.

-This landscape is very important

-to them.

-How long have you been working here?

-I've been working for Moors For

-The Future for over three years.

-We're trying to improve

-the landscape.

-There's been a lot of deterioration

-over the past 200 years...

-..since the mills

-of the Peak District burnt coal.

-That damaged the landscape.

-We're reintroducing plants

-and improving the landscape.

-We want to create a better

-environment for birds and animals.

-You live in a wonderful area.

-You live in a wonderful area.

-

-I miss Wales and I miss the sea.

-I used to live on the Nefyn coast...

-..but other than that,

-I can't complain.

-It's not too far away, is it?

-North Wales is two hours away.

-Precisely. It's two and a half

-hours to Nefyn, door-to-door.

-You're speeding on the A55

-if you can get there in that time!

-It depends if the jet skis are out!

-This path is the Pennine Way...

-..the famous track

-that crosses the Peak District.

-There's Glossop

-and the main road...

-..linking Sheffield with Manchester,

-crossing through Snake Pass.

-I'm heading to the summit

-you can see in the distance.

-That's Bleak Low, one of

-Derbyshire's highest mountains.

-I can hear birdsong from here.

-I'll hopefully see many of them

-along the way.

-This is a golden plover.

-It nests in the highlands

-during springtime...

-..after living on the lowlands

-through the winter.

-It's hiding and whistling

-in the peat.

-A bird similar in appearance

-is the dunlin.

-Its call is very different.

-Its beak is longer.

-The dunlin is a rare sight

-in Wales these days.

-Being so close to one...

-..I can't remember the last time

-I saw one like this.

-In Wales, you'll only see a handful

-of pairs, no more than that.

-This one is feeding -

-its nest is somewhere nearby.

-This one is feeding while

-the other one nests on the eggs.

-This one will return to the nest

-and take over those duties...

-..while the other one

-flies away to feed.

-When I used to go searching

-for dunlins in the Elenydd area...

-..I would also look

-for golden plovers.

-It's nice to see those here.

-They're another species that

-are very rare in Wales nowadays.

-I remember seeing dozens of them

-in Elenydd in the 1980s.

-You'd be lucky to see

-10-12 pairs today.

-The land around the summit of Bleak

-Low looks like Welsh highland...

-..but it's far richer

-in terms of wildlife.

-That's partly thanks to the grouse.

-There are shooting rights every year

-between August and December.

-The land is managed

-to sustain its numbers.

-It likes eating fresh growth

-of heather.

-The heather is regularly

-cut and burnt.

-You'll see very few sheep

-and birds of prey here.

-This is beneficial for the grouse,

-other nesting birds...

-..and animals such as the mountain

-hare which also lives on Bleaklow.

-I've reached one of the highest

-summits of the Peak District.

-Even though I'm sweating pints,

-as I look to the west...

-..it's a wonderful sight.

-On a clear day, I suspect I could

-see as far as Prestatyn and Rhyl.

-I've climbed up to Derwent Edge.

-It's a rock edge that stretches

-away from me in that direction.

-No matter where you go...

-..there are marvellous views

-around every corner.

-This is Ladybower reservoir.

-Further up the valley...

-..you'll discover

-Derwent and Howden reservoirs.

-It's a system that's similar

-to the one in the Elan Valley.

-The slopes that lead

-to the reservoirs are steep.

-They're a perfect habitat

-for a summer visitor from Africa.

-You might have heard this call and

-thought it sounded very familiar.

-You might have seen the bird

-and thought it looked familiar.

-In a way, you'd be right

-if you thought it was a blackbird.

-It's a mountain blackbird or ring

-ouzel to give it its proper name.

-I like that name.

-I remember someone in Cwmtwrch

-calling it 'ficer y graig'.

-That's a wonderful name - it has

-a white collar similar to a vicar's.

-Earlier, it was searching for worms.

-There must be a nest nearby.

-This is a perfect habitat.

-A mixture of heather,

-grass and berries...

-..and the stone walls.

-It will nest in stone walls

-such as these.

-The terrain has changed.

-It's unexpected terrain

-for the Peak District.

-These deciduous trees, mostly oak,

-above one of the reservoirs.

-To be honest, they're very similar

-to trees we have in Wales.

-I've timed my visit perfectly.

-The leaves haven't quite

-started to sprout.

-I hope some of the early migratory

-birds have returned from Africa.

-One of the finest deciduous

-tree birds is the pied flycatcher.

-Another is the redstart.

-I'm very fortunate to have found

-somewhere comfortable to sit.

-Both birds I really wanted to see,

-the pied flycatcher and redstart...

-..they're both here.

-They've only just returned

-from Africa. They're very busy.

-They feed for a time...

-..but then, they want to sing

-and establish their territory.

-They'll sit in a prominent place.

-Without leaves on the trees,

-it's easy to spot them.

-Imagine being here in a month,

-with leaves everywhere.

-The birds will then do

-one of two things.

-They're either excellent singers

-and you can hear their voices...

-..or they're very beautiful

-and colourful.

-The two most colourful birds

-in this forest are these two...

-..the pied flycatcher and redstart.

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-I'm further south,

-not far from Chesterfield.

-This is Big Moor, part of

-a wider area called East Moors.

-I'm here to meet Alan Heeley.

-More than anything else,

-I hope Alan can show me some adders.

-Alan, how are you, boy?

-Good to meet you. Good to see you.

-More than anything else, I want to

-see adders. Good place for them?

-Very good -

-if we go down into this area...

-..that banking just down there,

-we should be lucky...

-..even in this weather.

-Should be good. Come on then.

-It's still relatively cold

-for adders...

-..but spring has definitely sprung

-on Big Moor.

-Birds are already nesting here.

-This is a stonechat. Its beak is

-stuffed with food for her chicks.

-They're in the nest nearby.

-Although her beak is full,

-she sounds a warning call...

-..because we're very close

-to the nest.

-Her partner sounds the same call.

-Nearby is a reed bunting.

-Alan's eagle eyes has spotted

-an adder hiding in the reeds.

-I think it's two there,

-are there, Alan?

-Two males?

-Two males?

-

-Yep.

-That's nice, isn't it?

-I really like adders.

-I think

-they're beautiful creatures.

-The blood-red eye

-and the black zigzag on the back.

-They're cracking things.

-There's one there, the black

-on him looks almost greenish.

-It is apparent in this area.

-We've not seen them, or photographs,

-anywhere else in the country.

-It's just this area.

-I hadn't heard of that

-anywhere else.

-They're really beautiful - one

-of them is about to shed its skin.

-The other one

-looks as if it just has.

-Big Moor, near Chesterfield,

-is vast.

-It's like walking

-through a savannah in Africa.

-Like a savannah,

-there are animals grazing here.

-These are red deer, not antelopes!

-These are females.

-Only the males grow antlers.

-The mature males live apart

-until mating season.

-Big Moor is one of the most

-desolate areas of the Peak District.

-It's on the eastern side of the

-national park, close to Sheffield.

-I'm heading south, to Bakewell,

-and totally different terrain.

-When we think

-about the Peak District...

-..we think about the highlands.

-That's the area that attracts me.

-There is also another side

-to this area, the lowlands...

-..especially the valleys,

-or the dales as they're known here.

-There is as much wildlife here

-as you'll find on the highlands.

-This is Lathkill Dale.

-It's a national nature reserve...

-..primarily because of its

-rare plants.

-It's hard to believe this

-but two centuries ago...

-..is was a very important

-industrial site.

-You can see the remains

-of a lead works here.

-They mined lead here

-all the way back to Roman times...

-..but this is more recent.

-This dates back to the 19th century.

-Back then,

-120 people worked in this valley.

-It's the first week of May.

-Early spring flowers

-are starting to blossom.

-Bluebells...

-..red campion...

-..forget-me-not...

-..and around the remains

-of the old industries...

-..cowslip.

-The water is incredible clear.

-I can see every stone...

-..on the riverbed...

-..all the way over

-to the other side.

-If you could smell what I

-can smell here, it's wonderful.

-This plant is water mint.

-It's similar to mint but

-the aroma is significantly fresher.

-I remember collecting water mint

-with Nain...

-..and another plant that grows

-over there, watercress.

-She would use water mint

-for cooking...

-..but we ate watercress

-as we collected it.

-There's a pair of dippers

-feeding in the river.

-This can only mean one thing.

-There's a nest nearby.

-I think the dipper's nest

-is one of the best.

-It's a large ball of moss

-tucked into the bank.

-They're built above the water level

-for a reason.

-When the chicks defecate, they turn

-their backside to the hole...

-..and defecate

-straight out into the water.

-It's obvious from the noise...

-..and every now and then

-when they return with food...

-..I can see the chicks' beaks.

-I think they're within a day or two

-of leaving the nest.

-Both chicks are being well fed,

-and fairly fed.

-The one on the right

-is fed this time.

-It's the turn

-of the one on the left.

-This is the old Monsal Dale viaduct.

-I must say,

-I've been pleasantly surprised...

-..by the Peak District.

-The wildlife has been diverse

-and incredible.

-Whether you're a naturalist,

-a cyclist or a walker...

-..this is a very special area.

-Remember,

-it's only two hours from Wales.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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