Water World of Wales Secret Britain


Water World of Wales

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This is the story of Britain, but a Britain we rarely see.

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Britain as an undiscovered country.

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Our glorious landscape isn't just spectacular.

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It's full of secrets and surprises.

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We asked you to share your secret places.

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It's absolutely beautiful.

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And the response was overwhelming.

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You're taking us to some remarkable sites.

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How bizarre.

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I've never climbed anything this high in my life.

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We'll also share a few secrets of our own.

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'I really enjoy discovering secret wild swimming spots.'

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Oh, that's amazing!

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'This is Britain as you've never seen it before.'

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Oh, my word!

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HE LAUGHS

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-If you want to know a secret...

-Then come with us.

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The great British weather.

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Love it or loathe it, the rain keeps our land green and pleasant.

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Essential for farmers like me.

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And for walkers like me... watery wonderlands spring up.

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But some of our best water features are the most secret.

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Their charms only known to the fortunate few.

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Hunting for those idyllic spots, spurred on by your suggestions...

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We've come to South Wales and the Brecon Beacons.

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On the western border of the Beacons, the Black Mountain rises.

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Crowned with a majestic ice age lake.

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To the east is the glorious ribbon of the River Wye.

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And in the heart of the Brecon Beacons, a water world of surprises.

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Waiting to be discovered.

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Our first watery secrets got us up at first light.

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I hope it's worth it, it's so early!

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-It's certainly a beautiful morning.

-Yeah, it's good.

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'We're in search of the fabled Dragons' Breath -

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'not fire, but water.'

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'It appears just a few times a year.'

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'Simon Powell has long hunted for the watery Dragons' Breath.'

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-Simon, how are you doing?

-Great, thanks.

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'Thanks to Simon's obsession,

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'he's filmed the secrets of the magical vapour,

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'which occasionally visits this valley.'

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'So we are in for a rare treat.'

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-Wow, look at that!

-Oh, my goodness!

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It's just mist. Myth would have it

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that the Dragon lives in the cave

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obviously through the day

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and then in the night, comes down to the valleys,

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looking for unsuspecting souls.

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And this is his breath after a good meal?

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-I love that!

-After a night's hunting.

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If you wake up in the morning and you see a good dragon's breath,

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the dragon's had a good feed and we will all be safe for a wee while!

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It just totally absorbs all civilisation.

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-You sound like you really love being here.

-Oh, yeah. How can you not?

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-Do you feel like it's part of you?

-Oh, definitely.

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So while we're here, what should we try and see?

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If you're brave and you're bold,

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some of the caving systems around here are spectacular.

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And there's a cave which is so far in that it takes a complete day to get in there,

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and then you camp overnight - why you would want to camp overnight underground in a cave, I never know!

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-That's one of my biggest fears!

-Ellie is little and nimble.

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I might have a go at that.

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You can then push over to waterfall country.

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That's spectacular. Lots of large waterfalls.

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Cascading waterfalls.

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Llangorse Lake is a must. You've got to visit Llangorse Lake.

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People have been drawn to Llangorse Lake since the beginning of time.

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You cut me, I'll bleed Llangorse Lake!

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THEY LAUGH

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You've set us off on our journey beautifully.

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I can't wait to get out there and see some of this.

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You'll have a great time, you really will. And it'll stay with you for a long time as well,

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this little patch of Wales.

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-Thanks for sharing it with us, Simon.

-Pleasure. Enjoy your travels.

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Simon is our springboard to aquatic adventure.

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He's revealed a secret water world where sky is sodden.

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And land is overrun.

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-We can't wait to get on the water.

-And in it!

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To explore its untold stories and drink in its secret delights.

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With so many trips to squeeze in, we're going solo for a while.

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I'm making for one of our top tips - Llangorse Lake.

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This place is very atmospheric.

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There's a warm wind and rather strange light.

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Makes it feel rather magical.

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I just want to soak it all in.

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But what's so secretive here?

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'My guide Mark Redknapp has a passion for the puzzles of this place.'

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Mark, where are we headed?

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We're headed over to this wooded island here, in actual fact, it's not an island.

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An island that's not an island. That's quite a mystery.

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People aren't normally allowed to land on it.

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-But we've been given special permission.

-Wow.

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What is this place?

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We are actually standing on this completely man-made island.

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Man-made? Wow! How did they make it?

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You first lay out bundles of brushwood,

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you pin those down with oak stakes, timbers like this.

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So how old is it?

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Well, luckily, we can use tree ring dating to date oak

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and that tells us that some of the oak, like the one down there,

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was actually felled between the years 889 and 893 AD.

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Incredible.

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'A post hammered in place over 1,000 years ago.

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'That oak and many more laid the foundations.

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'But who built this island from scratch?

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'Their secret skills have stood the test of time.

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'Now trees have taken over,

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'but once this artificial island was crowned with grand wooden houses.'

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The Royal Palace, built around 900 AD, made for a Welsh king.

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But that King had a powerful English enemy.

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Queen Aethelflaed -

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her Anglo-Saxon warriors laid waste to this royal residence.

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Now, 1,000 years on, it's the birds who lord it over the lake.

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Water has been at the centre of life here for thousands of years.

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If you know where to look,

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you'll find that it's hiding all kind of secrets.

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'Your suggestions for surprising stories are inspiring Ellie and me.

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'As we explore the secret water world of South Wales.

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'Whose mountains are massive collectors of moisture.'

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Snow and rain saturate the ground.

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Water that feeds mighty rivers.

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Rivers that run with fish.

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And fish attract fishermen.

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Landing a prize catch is a closely guarded secret.

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Those in the know head to the Brecon Beacons and the River Usk.

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Hiding somewhere in these restless waters

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are some of Britain's best brown trout.

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Trout with a taste for flies.

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Tempting me to reveal a secret of my own.

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I got the bug for fly-fishing as a teenager,

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and it's all very well having all the right equipment,

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but what you really need to do is find the best spots to fish in.

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Young me struggled to discover those secret spots for a big catch.

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But now, I've got renewed motivation.

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What I'd love to do is take my 12-year-old son Alfie,

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who's just getting into fishing,

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and go off and discover our own little secret places to fish in.

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So I'm hooking up with a master of the mysterious arts,

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a world championship contender with reel and line,

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who is well practised at plucking trout from the River Usk...

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..Kim Tribe.

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I can say to people, "Think like a fish." How do you think like a fish?

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Well, it's not easy. Nobody can speak fish.

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I'd be out of a business otherwise.

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Looking at the water, where do you think the fish might be?

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You've got a big conveyor belt bringing food down to the fish.

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Aquatic insects, the nymphs from under the stones, dry flies

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that are hatching out, any insects that fall from the trees.

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They are all coming down in that chute of water.

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Fish predominantly like to stay on what they call a seam, or a crease,

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-just where it changes speed.

-So it's a little bit slower.

-Yes.

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They'll sit in the slow water,

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when something comes past them in the fast water, they'll grab it.

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The trick is making sure the trout grab our fly

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rather than a real one.

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So Kim is deploying his secret weapon.

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I'm going to use a little caddis imitation.

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They are quite bright, so you can see it on the top.

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You can see it on the top.

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That's what you want to be able to see in low light conditions.

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But the fish don't see that yellow bit,

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the fish sees the underneath of the fly.

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I fished a lot as a boy, but not much lately.

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It's not about distance casting, it's about controlling the line.

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The closer you can get to the fish without scaring it, the better.

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This is great fun, isn't it? But quite tricky.

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Yes, we spooked a couple of fish there, you know.

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The water is on its bones at the moment, it's really low.

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If you want to catch a fish in low water conditions, it's tough,

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so you've got to be able to move around.

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I'd be delighted if you can take me to one of your little secret spots.

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Would you let me into that? Will you?

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So long as you don't tell anybody else, OK?

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Rather surprisingly, we are turning our back on the water.

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I'm no expert, but I didn't expect to find fish in a forest.

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This is a secret.

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Goodness me. That was a bit of a journey.

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Is this it?

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Oh, no, this isn't it.

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-Where now, then?

-Follow me.

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In between these stones now.

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-So, has anybody fished this before?

-Only me, and only once or twice.

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This spot is my last chance.

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So, time to deploy my own secret weapon.

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My childhood fly box.

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As a boy, I was so keen on my fishing,

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I used to make my own flies.

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And in fact, I used to tie the feathers

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onto the shafts of earrings and send them up to my sister in London

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who used to sell them to her trendy friends.

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I had a good little business going there.

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Oh, this is quite a fiddle.

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So, if I can catch one of these little wild brown trout

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with my own flies, that will be superb.

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Right, there we go.

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OK.

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It's got to go at the same speed as those in bubbles on the flow

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and then they'll take it.

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-Yes, get ready now, whoa, don't pull it.

-Yes. Yes!

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THEY LAUGH

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Hold on, hold on, hold on.

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Yes! So, what have we got there?

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We've got a little salmon parr here, perfect. As nature intended.

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-Yes, on my rod. Let's have a little hold of it.

-OK, so wet hand.

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Well, there we are. A wonderful little young, wild fish.

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So releasing the fish, hold it in the water, face it upstream,

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let it swim away under its own devices.

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Kim, thank you so much for letting me in on your beautiful secret spot.

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My pleasure, Adam, my pleasure.

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The spot most people make for in the Brecon Beacons

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is the highest peak, Pen y Fan.

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It's a great view, for sure.

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But this heavenly slice of South Wales has much more in store.

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If you know where to look.

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Your tip-offs have set us hunting for hidden gems.

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Special sites squirrelled away in this Welsh land of legend

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that's soaked in watery secrets.

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These hills were polished smooth in the ice age.

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When the ice melted, people poured in.

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Ancient folk, folk whose ways we struggle to make sense of.

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This stone has kept their secrets for thousands of years.

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Now, archaeologist Natalie Ward looks after it.

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She's waiting for sun and stone to align.

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And...she's waiting for us.

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-How are you doing, Natalie?

-Hi. Good, thanks.

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-Wow!

-That's a big lump of stone, isn't it?

-It is, it's a whopper.

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-You can't miss it, can you?

-What sort of rock is it?

-Old red sandstone.

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Gosh, all these lichens and mosses.

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Who put it here? Do we know anything about them?

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It's from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age.

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-That's about 4,000 years ago.

-That's a hugely heavy rock.

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How on earth did they get it to stand up?

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We don't really know.

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It's a proper feat of engineering, but at least a quarter, or third,

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of it must be below ground, so we're talking a big chunk of rock.

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And what about the obvious question, why?

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Exactly what it meant is sort of lost in the mists of time, really.

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Actually, there's a myth attached to this stone

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that on midsummer, in the evening, just as the sun is setting,

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the stone actually moves and goes down to the river to drink.

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If you look round, it casts a really long shadow.

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We think it's the shadow that goes like a tongue down to the river.

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Look at it, it's the nearly there now.

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Is it lucky if it hits the river or anything like that?

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I've not heard of anything to do with the myth.

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So often with these sorts of sites, there is that sort of connotation.

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We can start our own myths, can't we?

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You come into fortune.

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I'm going to go down there if it's going to be lucky.

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-It's nearly there.

-It's not far off.

-It is nearly touching.

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It must be 60 metres from the stream back to the stone.

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I reckon it's on this rock.

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I think we're there, Ellie. It's here.

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The stone is now drinking from the stream.

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Bringing me luck.

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You've been licked by the legend of the luck stone.

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My legend of the luck stone shall endure for another 4,000 years.

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I doubt it.

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In the high country of South Wales,

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stone and water are surprisingly close companions.

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The tiniest trickle will, over time, erode the rock.

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Feeding rivers carving their course along the valleys.

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Putting on a spectacular show for the tourists.

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But the water also has a secret life few get to see.

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When it seeps deep into the earth.

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I'm going with the flow under the mountains

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into a cave cut by water.

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To get underground, I'm going to need help.

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Gary Evans is with some members of the South Wales Caving Club.

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I'm hoping they know the way in...

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and out.

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-Hello. So, where are we heading, then?

-We are heading to this cave.

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This is called Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.

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This is the deepest cave in the UK,

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-just over 300 metres from top to bottom.

-Wow!

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We're going to see a river running through the cave.

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And what's special in here,

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we're going to see formations called the Bee's Knees. And the Ballerina.

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And they are just exquisite, they are really fine formations

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and very few people have seen them.

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Amazing. So we are going into this secret world.

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-And these formations - all been created by water?

-Yes.

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We've got an over-suit for you. That will protect your clothing.

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It'll keep you warm as well. Do you like that?

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-I'm not sure "like" is the word, but functional is absolutely right.

-OK.

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I feel a bit nervous, you know.

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Why do people do this again?

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Soon, we'll lift the lid on a mysterious, pitch-black water world.

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And they say it's not only what you discover underground,

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but what you discover about yourself.

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We are unlocking the cave's secrets.

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OK, guys.

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'And one of mine.'

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Perhaps now is a good time to tell you that I'm a bit claustrophobic.

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I even freak out in a tight wetsuit, I'm not even joking.

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I'm not going to see daylight again for 10 hours.

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Wish me luck.

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It's a wall of cold air.

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Oh, I don't like this.

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To make things worse, we are not alone down here.

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If you can hear that, it's running water.

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It sounds like a lot of running water.

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'Water with the power to carve this passage through solid rock.

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'What more secrets are in store?'

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Wow, what have we got here?

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This looks like a solid waterfall.

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I know, it's all calcites, so it's all limestone

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that was dissolved and has reformed as calcite.

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-But it does look like a waterfall, doesn't it?

-It looks incredible.

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We're going up there.

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-It looks treacherous.

-It's not.

-Look how shiny that is.

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Let's get you into there. OK, take in.

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Grab hold of this side, and pull it there.

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-OK, on rope.

-Lines are ready.

-Take the strain.

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OK. Do a bit of walking up here.

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Crikey. Oh, wow.

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It looks so slippery, but actually it isn't, is it?

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-It's all right, isn't it?

-It's remarkable.

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Sorry. Wow, look at that, I'm up, I'm up. Hurrah!

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Crikey!

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The environment of the cave has changed completely.

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-It has, hasn't it?

-All this water wasn't on the floor before,

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it's not just dripping down from the ceiling any more, it's gushing down.

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That's right, we're in the main stream here. It's a bit low today,

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but this is taking water from all the way up the cave.

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It can flood over our heads.

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How quickly have you seen it go from that to above head height?

0:23:310:23:34

You wouldn't want to be here when it happens,

0:23:340:23:36

but I've been here in the morning and it's been fairly low,

0:23:360:23:38

then come back in the afternoon after heavy rain

0:23:380:23:40

and it's been right up here somewhere,

0:23:400:23:42

-you can just see it from above.

-Really?

-I know.

0:23:420:23:44

For now, we are the only ones who can see this.

0:23:440:23:47

And the rock has changed as well, it seems very dark now.

0:23:470:23:50

Yes, that gives the cave its name. So, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu

0:23:500:23:53

means "cave of the black spring".

0:23:530:23:55

And the black being this black limestone.

0:23:550:23:58

It's incredible, it feels like a secret world underneath the world.

0:23:580:24:01

I'm in the freak-out zone, Gary. You know I hate this.

0:24:160:24:20

-It does get a bit smaller here, as you can see.

-Yes.

0:24:220:24:25

So we're hands and knees for a little while now.

0:24:250:24:28

-You'll be able to drag your bag behind you.

-Right.

0:24:280:24:30

If your bag gets stuck at all, just kick it with your feet.

0:24:300:24:33

-It opens out further on.

-I'm better off not even looking at it.

0:24:330:24:36

I'm just going to deal with it as it happens.

0:24:360:24:38

At the moment I'm pretending the sky is just there.

0:24:380:24:41

After you. Go on, then.

0:24:410:24:43

He makes it look so easy.

0:24:460:24:47

Oh, my goodness, that's way more crawling than I thought.

0:24:490:24:52

'Be brave, Ellie. Gather your courage. We'll be back.'

0:24:520:24:56

If it's any consolation,

0:25:070:25:09

up top, things are also taking a turn for the worse.

0:25:090:25:13

The weather here in the Brecon Beacons

0:25:220:25:24

can change incredibly quickly,

0:25:240:25:26

with low cloud or mist coming off the tops

0:25:260:25:28

and wrapping round the hillside like a blanket.

0:25:280:25:31

Low cloud can be a killer for pilots, as you've told us.

0:25:330:25:37

You astonished us with stories of plane crash sites,

0:25:410:25:44

especially in the Brecon Beacons.

0:25:440:25:46

Wow, this is where a Lancaster bomber crashed

0:25:520:25:56

during the Second World War. This mangled burnt wreckage.

0:25:560:26:00

This is part of the engine.

0:26:010:26:03

And then down here, the twisted and bent crankshaft.

0:26:030:26:07

It would have come down with serious impact.

0:26:070:26:12

This is a memorial to the eight young men who lost their lives.

0:26:290:26:34

And the crash site is one of many on the Brecon Beacons,

0:26:350:26:38

scattered all over the hills.

0:26:380:26:41

It's a grim reminder of how the fog and mist and low cloud

0:26:410:26:45

can take lives up here.

0:26:450:26:47

But, incredibly, there's one man that was in a plane crash

0:26:530:26:57

up here in the Brecon Beacons and he survived.

0:26:570:27:00

Frank Stokes was an RAF radio operator.

0:27:030:27:06

Aged just 19, he was on a training flight.

0:27:080:27:11

It was January 12th, 1945.

0:27:120:27:16

Now 89, Frank knows the secrets

0:27:180:27:21

of surviving a collision with these mountains in low cloud.

0:27:210:27:25

-Hello, Frank. Lovely to meet you.

-Hello, nice to meet you too.

0:27:270:27:31

Whereabouts was the crash?

0:27:310:27:33

Well, on a misty day like this, we can't be very precise,

0:27:330:27:36

-but somewhere up along the top there.

-What about the plane?

0:27:360:27:39

Well, in fact, I've got a picture here to show you, there.

0:27:390:27:43

That's where the pilot sits, on this side.

0:27:450:27:48

And the radio operator on the other side.

0:27:480:27:52

-So just the two of you in the aircraft.

-Just the two, yes.

0:27:520:27:55

As we took off, there was snow all over the airfield,

0:27:550:27:58

it was a very cloudy day.

0:27:580:28:00

Did you have any indication that you were going to crash?

0:28:000:28:03

Well, no, the first hint that I got

0:28:040:28:08

was a change in engine noise.

0:28:080:28:10

And I took my gaze away from what I was doing and looked ahead,

0:28:100:28:15

that's when I first saw the mountain there.

0:28:150:28:17

And the impact was strong enough

0:28:170:28:19

to throw the pilot some distance out of the plane.

0:28:190:28:23

What sort of state was he in when you got to him?

0:28:230:28:26

Well, he was in deep unconsciousness.

0:28:260:28:28

He was breathing very heavily and there was blood coming from his nose.

0:28:280:28:31

There was nothing that could be done.

0:28:310:28:33

And you decided to walk off the mountain.

0:28:330:28:36

That was the best thing to do.

0:28:360:28:38

The ground sort of fell away in that direction, so I went.

0:28:380:28:42

Snow everywhere, the like of which I'd never seen before.

0:28:420:28:47

I got to a point, I could see the road from Brecon to Merthyr Tydfil

0:28:470:28:52

and it was extreme chance that this guy should come around

0:28:520:28:56

in his car and offered to take me to the hospital.

0:28:560:29:00

I got out about teatime, actually.

0:29:000:29:03

I seem to remember a young nurse coming along

0:29:030:29:07

and feeding me sausages and mash.

0:29:070:29:10

And they discovered that you had got a broken back.

0:29:110:29:14

It was only later on that an RAF doctor told me

0:29:140:29:18

that I'd fractured my spine.

0:29:180:29:21

Goodness me!

0:29:210:29:22

-And the pilot, sadly, did die later.

-They wouldn't tell me right away.

0:29:220:29:27

I had to ask a couple of times,

0:29:270:29:28

but then they told me that he died.

0:29:280:29:31

-Do you think luck was on your side?

-Oh, it must have been, yes, yes.

0:29:330:29:38

As a teenager, Frank faced a date with destiny on this mountain.

0:29:410:29:45

70 years later, he has three children, 11 grandkids

0:29:490:29:54

and two great-grandchildren...

0:29:540:29:56

..all because Frank lived to tell the tale

0:29:590:30:03

when lost in the swirling mist of this secret water world.

0:30:030:30:06

Even in clear skies, these mountains conceal watery surprises.

0:30:190:30:24

Some of the rain is stored, but more seeps deep underground.

0:30:260:30:31

That's where I am, Adam, in Britain's deepest cave.

0:30:320:30:36

Passages carved by the irresistible force of water.

0:30:390:30:42

And I'm told tiny water drops have also created amazing formations

0:30:440:30:49

and crystal jewels few have ever seen.

0:30:490:30:52

Secrets I can't wait to see.

0:30:540:30:56

That's the good news. The bad news is everything else.

0:30:580:31:04

Oh, no.

0:31:050:31:06

I hate this, I absolutely hate this. Ugh.

0:31:090:31:11

I'm happy with spiders, snakes...

0:31:120:31:15

..even clowns, but squeeze me through a hole

0:31:170:31:20

and I'm going to pass out with stress.

0:31:200:31:22

Nearly there.

0:31:240:31:26

Don't like that at all.

0:31:300:31:32

Oh, my God.

0:31:320:31:34

SHE GROANS

0:31:340:31:36

Oh, I hate this.

0:31:400:31:41

Ooh.

0:31:450:31:46

-Even my bag won't fit through.

-You OK?

-Oh, thank God!

0:31:570:32:01

GARY CHUCKLES

0:32:010:32:02

Gary, I just don't know why you do this. Why do you do this?!

0:32:020:32:05

SHE SIGHS

0:32:070:32:08

I just hate that squeezing. Of all the things in all the world,

0:32:080:32:12

-I can cope with so much, but just...

-Do you know why?

0:32:120:32:14

What is it about it...?

0:32:140:32:17

I don't know, it's just innate, it's something deep within me,

0:32:170:32:20

even just the idea of it actually makes me

0:32:200:32:22

kind of want to look away, I can't even think about it.

0:32:220:32:25

-Well, you see, with practice, it'll get better.

-Good.

-Shall we practise?

0:32:250:32:29

-I suppose we should go on.

-Yeah, we should head on.

0:32:290:32:32

No more of those, thank you very much.

0:32:320:32:34

Knee up onto this one?

0:32:380:32:40

'Thankfully, as the passage opens up, after one last struggle,

0:32:450:32:49

'we're close to our watery secrets,

0:32:490:32:52

'known to cavers as the Ballerina and the Bee's Knees.

0:32:520:32:56

-'I hope my legs hold out.'

-Whoa, steady there.

0:32:580:33:02

-SHE LAUGHS

-Just ahead of us here,

0:33:020:33:04

this should be worth looking at.

0:33:040:33:05

Oh, wow.

0:33:050:33:07

They really are stunning. Why so white like that?

0:33:080:33:12

It's all just pure calcium carbonate.

0:33:120:33:14

They're almost see-through, aren't they?

0:33:140:33:17

So that's the Bee's Knees?

0:33:170:33:19

-SHE LAUGHS

-Yes.

-Is that why it's

0:33:190:33:20

called the Bee's Knees? Cos it's the shape of a knee!

0:33:200:33:22

-Exactly right. Were you expecting something else?

-I wasn't sure what I was expecting!

0:33:220:33:26

-And the Ballerina?

-Just step forward and look back at it again.

-Oh, yeah.

0:33:260:33:31

That's the Ballerina.

0:33:310:33:33

Really serene. Gosh, in this secret place. Gosh, aren't they incredible?

0:33:330:33:39

'The drip-drip-drop of eternity.

0:33:470:33:49

'Water working in secret.

0:33:510:33:56

'Each drop leaves a minuscule deposit of calcium...

0:33:560:33:59

'..the same mineral that builds our own bones.'

0:34:000:34:03

When we're all gone and the cave's quiet, they're just sat there,

0:34:060:34:08

quietly doing what they do.

0:34:080:34:10

We're so lucky to see these. It's very atmospheric.

0:34:100:34:13

-And there's more to see?

-There's more to see.

-Shall we keep going?

-Yep.

0:34:150:34:18

Oh, my word, Gary, this is something else!

0:34:300:34:32

Looks like snow all over the roof the cave.

0:34:320:34:34

GARY LAUGHS

0:34:340:34:35

-And sparkling as well.

-I know.

-Wow, what is it?

-This is gypsum.

0:34:370:34:42

'Crystal gems glistening like jewels.

0:34:420:34:46

'Hidden treasure of this Welsh water world, precious few have ever seen.'

0:34:480:34:53

It's just here in secret all the time until we come along

0:34:550:34:59

and throw these lights up, and the whole place just sparkles.

0:34:590:35:01

There have been parts of the journey where I wasn't sure,

0:35:030:35:06

-BUT...it was worth it.

-That's good.

0:35:060:35:08

SHE LAUGHS Even the squeezes. It's made it worth it.

0:35:080:35:12

BREATHLESS: Now just the small matter of finding my way out.

0:35:140:35:18

In the Brecon Beacons, it's water, water, everywhere.

0:35:320:35:35

Even the odd drop to drink.

0:35:350:35:38

This natural pool was here long before it was dammed.

0:35:440:35:48

It's known as Llyn y Fan Fach, a lake steeped in mythology.

0:35:480:35:53

Yes, the tragic tale of a beautiful lady born from this water

0:35:530:35:58

and betrayed by a man.

0:35:580:36:00

These showcase sites and their stories captivate allcomers.

0:36:000:36:05

But we're delving deeper.

0:36:050:36:07

We're told this dense thicket conceals a dark secret

0:36:160:36:19

for us to discover.

0:36:190:36:20

Ah, the legendary Witches' Pool of Pwll-y-Wrach.

0:36:230:36:25

-WELSH ACCENT:

-Yes, Ellie, the Witches' Pool.

0:36:250:36:27

That's not a bad accent, actually!

0:36:270:36:29

-I'm half-Welsh, you know.

-Are you?

-Yeah, on my mother's side.

0:36:290:36:32

Well, I thought you were Scottish with the red hair.

0:36:320:36:34

HE LAUGHS

0:36:340:36:36

So did you enjoy your journey into the underworld kingdom?

0:36:360:36:40

LAUGHING: I didn't see any goblins.

0:36:400:36:42

I was glad to have got there, but very glad to have got out.

0:36:420:36:44

You'll have a go next time.

0:36:440:36:46

HE LAUGHS

0:36:460:36:47

Hmm.

0:36:500:36:51

Well, we're looking for a pool apparently.

0:36:530:36:55

Yeah, and there's a waterfall by it.

0:36:550:36:57

Well, here's the water.

0:36:580:37:01

Ah, look at this.

0:37:010:37:03

These weird faces in the tress.

0:37:030:37:05

Whoa, that suggests the dark art of the occult, doesn't it?

0:37:050:37:08

-They look a bit modern to me.

-Yeah.

-And that's not much of a waterfall.

0:37:080:37:11

I can't believe this is it. There must be some more clues somewhere.

0:37:110:37:15

Goodness, look at this.

0:37:180:37:19

HE READS NOTICE ALOUD

0:37:210:37:24

-Have you found anything?

-A phone box, does that help?

-What?!

0:37:280:37:32

HE LAUGHS

0:37:320:37:33

-Look at this, no phone but loads of intel.

-Here we are, "You are here."

0:37:360:37:39

-Look, waterfall is there.

-Oh, nice one.

-Not there yet.

0:37:390:37:42

You going to change into your Superman costume?

0:37:420:37:44

As long as you put your fairy outfit on - or are you a witch?!

0:37:440:37:48

THEY LAUGH

0:37:480:37:50

'Following the tip-off from the telephone box,

0:37:500:37:52

'we're on track for the Witches' Pool.'

0:37:520:37:54

Swirling with a dark secret, fed by a waterfall.

0:37:570:38:01

This must be it, Ellie.

0:38:080:38:09

It's beautiful, isn't it? It really is.

0:38:110:38:13

Lovely, rusty red colour all down the waterfall.

0:38:130:38:15

Yeah, beautiful sandstone.

0:38:150:38:17

-Not much light, though, is there?

-No, it's quite enclosed.

0:38:170:38:20

It's Welsh name is Pwll-y-Wrach - "Pool of the Witches".

0:38:270:38:31

So the dark legends are that this pool was used to try witches,

0:38:310:38:36

they would have been drowned because of their craft.

0:38:360:38:38

I was going to go for a swim in that pond,

0:38:440:38:46

but, um...not sure the mood is right.

0:38:460:38:49

'I could well believe it was a witches' pool.

0:38:560:38:59

'We'll never know for sure.

0:38:590:39:01

'But what a beautiful sight for such a heartbreaking secret.'

0:39:010:39:05

It's spurred me on to find a more suitable spot for a wild swim.

0:39:090:39:13

Not a witches' pool, no, I've got a bit of a hike, but at the end

0:39:150:39:19

of my walk there's the promise of finding an enchanted fairy pool.

0:39:190:39:23

While you're away with the fairies,

0:39:280:39:30

Ellie, I'm on my own amazing journey.

0:39:300:39:32

For a farmer like me, it's no surprise to be in a field.

0:39:350:39:39

But just you wait.

0:39:390:39:40

Unlikely as it seems, hidden in these trees are old farmsteads.

0:39:430:39:49

Apparently, cattle grazed here for centuries. But where?

0:39:490:39:54

A traditional way of life's been lost.

0:39:580:40:00

The evidence lies in secret somewhere in these woods.

0:40:020:40:06

I want to uncover one family's forgotten story

0:40:090:40:12

that's generations old.

0:40:120:40:13

And there's some clues over here. That wall is definitely man-made.

0:40:170:40:22

Ah, this is what I'm looking for.

0:40:260:40:28

This is one of the old farmsteads that was here before

0:40:300:40:34

the wood was planted.

0:40:340:40:35

And now it's tumbled down, and the bracken and thorn

0:40:370:40:42

and bushes have taken over. But it's got great big thick walls.

0:40:420:40:48

This looks like it would have been quite a big room in here.

0:40:480:40:51

Before the trees were here, of course,

0:40:510:40:53

this was all grassland with grazing animals, they would have

0:40:530:40:57

planted their own vegetables, and it wasn't all that long ago.

0:40:570:41:01

The trees were only planted late sixties, early seventies,

0:41:010:41:04

so they've grown up very fast,

0:41:040:41:07

and this old farmstead has just disappeared into the undergrowth.

0:41:070:41:12

Nature has forgotten the farm, but, fortunately,

0:41:160:41:19

a few people do remember.

0:41:190:41:21

Edwina Cartwright carries those memories

0:41:230:41:26

from a century ago with her.

0:41:260:41:28

Great to meet you.

0:41:280:41:30

'Her mother's told Edwina the secrets of life on this old farm.'

0:41:300:41:33

-So remote, isn't it? So who've you got there?

-That's my mother.

0:41:330:41:38

How old do you think she was then?

0:41:380:41:41

She was, I think, 10, 11. She was living here at the time.

0:41:410:41:45

-So she'd have lived in the house here?

-Yeah.

0:41:450:41:47

-Incredible, isn't it?

-I know. And my grandmother.

0:41:470:41:51

-My word, what an outfit.

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

0:41:510:41:55

-So slim as well. My grandfather.

-What's his name?

-Christmas.

0:41:550:42:00

-Christmas?!

-Yeah.

-What a great name.

-Yeah.

0:42:000:42:02

We're quite remote, they'd have had to run everything on candlelight

0:42:020:42:06

-and those sorts of things.

-There was an outside toilet,

0:42:060:42:09

and I think they had to get water from the stream.

0:42:090:42:12

Make their own bread, their own butter.

0:42:120:42:15

My auntie and my uncle used to go over on a horse and cart

0:42:150:42:19

to Penderyn, on to Aberdare,

0:42:190:42:21

to sell milk, in churns then.

0:42:210:42:25

And how old is your mother now?

0:42:250:42:28

-She's 91 in October.

-And does she still talk about the place?

0:42:280:42:32

Oh, yeah. She'd love to come up here herself, but...

0:42:320:42:36

Well, it was a job for me getting here!

0:42:360:42:38

Can understand why a 91-year-old wouldn't be able to make it.

0:42:380:42:41

'85 years ago, Edwina's mum discovered her own secret spots

0:42:410:42:45

'in a magical landscape, as she began to explore.'

0:42:450:42:50

She used to walk to school,

0:42:520:42:53

across the river and down into Pontneddfechan.

0:42:530:42:56

-How long was that?

-I think four miles.

0:42:560:42:58

-Goodness me, there and back every day.

-Rain, hail or shine.

0:42:580:43:03

Come on, let's go and retrace her steps

0:43:030:43:06

-and see which way she would have gone.

-OK.

0:43:060:43:08

'Edwina's mum, when she was just six years old, often set off alone.

0:43:140:43:20

'A wonderful walk, but a challenge for those young legs.'

0:43:210:43:25

My word, Edwina, that's a serious river to cross!

0:43:270:43:30

-How did she get through here?

-When it rains, it rises very quickly.

0:43:300:43:35

-Making it even more difficult.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:43:350:43:38

'But the secret path to cross the river took that little girl

0:43:380:43:41

'to a breathtaking sight.'

0:43:410:43:43

Memories of this glorious waterfall still sparkle for Edwina,

0:43:570:44:01

and her mum.

0:44:010:44:03

There's a path right behind the waterfall,

0:44:080:44:10

and that's how she travelled, she walked behind.

0:44:100:44:13

My grandfather used to go behind there on a horse,

0:44:130:44:15

and he'd take cattle and sheep.

0:44:150:44:20

-The only way to cross this valley.

-Yeah.

0:44:200:44:22

Let's go and take a look.

0:44:220:44:24

My word!

0:44:320:44:34

-It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

-I know.

0:44:340:44:38

-It's gorgeous.

-With the sun shining through.

-Yeah.

0:44:380:44:43

-To think your mum used to do this in her school clothes every day!

-Yeah.

0:44:430:44:47

-I'm not sure I want to ride a horse through here.

-Oh, no.

0:44:470:44:50

I suppose after a while the livestock

0:44:500:44:52

-and horses would have got used to it.

-Yeah.

0:44:520:44:54

It's called Sgwd-yr-Eira, and it means "falling of the snow".

0:44:540:44:57

So thank you so much for sharing your family secrets,

0:45:320:45:35

it's been wonderful, and please send my love to your mum.

0:45:350:45:38

I will, yeah.

0:45:380:45:40

-Your secret stories...

-Take us to special places.

0:45:450:45:49

This isn't the only watery short cut we've heard about.

0:45:560:46:00

A secret tale from the banks of the River Wye sparked our interest.

0:46:000:46:05

Crossing this great divide put us in contact with a couple

0:46:050:46:08

who had a story to share.

0:46:080:46:10

-I'm Maggie.

-And I'm Graham.

-And our secret is...

0:46:120:46:14

BOTH: ..we bought a bridge!

0:46:140:46:16

-Why DID we decide to buy this bridge, Graham?

-Well, it was over lunch.

0:46:190:46:23

MACHINE BEEPS

0:46:260:46:28

I said, "We're going to buy that." Your reaction?

0:46:280:46:31

"Oh, no, not another one of your harebrained schemes."

0:46:310:46:34

-We fell in love with it. Something different in our lives.

-Absolutely.

0:46:350:46:41

Let me introduce you to the bridge, our beautiful bridge.

0:46:410:46:44

It was built here in 1774, the secret route between

0:46:440:46:48

England and Wales.

0:46:480:46:50

The bridge is definitely a secret to a lot of people, and we find

0:46:520:46:56

that when they arrive and say,

0:46:560:46:57

"But the sat nav brought me here. I didn't know this existed."

0:46:570:47:02

Over two centuries old, the bridge has been bypassed by new roads.

0:47:020:47:07

Now it's a secret short cut, but it isn't a free ride.

0:47:070:47:11

For unlimited crossings by car, it's just 80p a day.

0:47:110:47:14

-Hello, there.

-Hi, you all right?

0:47:170:47:18

80 pence, thank you very much indeed, and that's the return...

0:47:180:47:21

Money that pays to keep the bridge going.

0:47:210:47:23

Good afternoon, how are you doing today?

0:47:240:47:27

Parliament grants the bridge owners the right to charge,

0:47:270:47:30

but not to charge what they like.

0:47:300:47:32

For us to increase the prices of the toll requires us

0:47:340:47:37

to get an Act of Parliament passed.

0:47:370:47:39

So it would have to be

0:47:390:47:41

a very significant increase for us

0:47:410:47:43

to make it worthwhile to apply for that, which we have no plans for.

0:47:430:47:48

-Hello there, that's just 80 pence, please.

-There you go.

0:47:480:47:51

There's a steady stream of income.

0:47:510:47:54

But it's not all plain sailing making a bridge your home.

0:47:540:47:57

-We've had probably four, five floods?

-Each year!

0:47:590:48:02

Yeah, since we've been here.

0:48:020:48:03

But it doesn't come into the house, fortunately, it's just very damp.

0:48:030:48:07

And the biggest issue is the debris we catch on the bridge.

0:48:070:48:11

We have had some very large trees wedged on,

0:48:110:48:13

we then need to get guys with chainsaws out to cut them up for us.

0:48:130:48:16

You never know what's going to flow under your bridge.

0:48:190:48:23

But it's a constant joy to relax and soak in the secret life of the river.

0:48:250:48:30

We had wanted to move to the sea,

0:48:410:48:43

and we'd been talking about getting nearer to the water,

0:48:430:48:45

and we said, "Well, there's more water here than we could ever want."

0:48:450:48:48

What a beautiful spot.

0:48:480:48:50

Particularly the views from the bridge upstream

0:48:500:48:52

are just out of this world.

0:48:520:48:53

Living near the River Wye is just magical.

0:48:570:49:01

We're on the trail of hidden, secret stories.

0:49:120:49:15

It's a quest that's brought us to South Wales

0:49:170:49:20

and the Brecon Beacons, a realm of watery delights.

0:49:200:49:24

Right now, I'm on a one-man mission to immerse myself completely

0:49:270:49:31

in this watery world -

0:49:310:49:34

the best way I know.

0:49:340:49:37

Since we're sharing secrets, one of mine is that when I was growing up

0:49:370:49:41

I wanted to be the youngest person to swim the English Channel.

0:49:410:49:45

I didn't actually do it in the end, but I still love swimming,

0:49:450:49:48

and now I really enjoy discovering secret wild swimming spots.

0:49:480:49:52

What makes the lake that I'm going to so special is that it's

0:49:550:50:00

a watery gateway to another world,

0:50:000:50:02

and who can resist a legend of the lake?

0:50:020:50:04

Not this lady?

0:50:040:50:06

Ho-ho!

0:50:120:50:14

Wow! It's so unexpected,

0:50:220:50:23

walking all the way up this mountain, you don't

0:50:230:50:26

even see it until you're right on top of it.

0:50:260:50:28

SHE SIGHS Looks glorious.

0:50:300:50:32

There's always something quite special about water

0:50:320:50:35

that's collected high up, because obviously it always floats downhill.

0:50:350:50:39

So to have this secret pool hidden from the world...

0:50:390:50:44

gives it a real magical quality.

0:50:440:50:45

'I'm not the only one enchanted by this fairy-tale pool.'

0:50:490:50:53

-How are you doing, Neil?

-Hi there, Ellie, how are you?

-I'm good.

0:50:530:50:56

-Have a seat.

-Thank you.

0:50:560:50:58

Cor, what a spot!

0:50:580:51:00

'Believe it or not,

0:51:000:51:01

'there's a magical rock sitting in the middle of this lake.

0:51:010:51:06

'Sadly, we can' see it, because, of course, being a fairy kingdom,

0:51:060:51:10

'the rock's invisible.

0:51:100:51:12

'I have conjured up man of mythology Neil Thomas to tell me the tale.'

0:51:140:51:18

On the first crow of the cockerel on each May Day,

0:51:200:51:22

the rocks would cleave apart to reveal a magical tunnel which

0:51:220:51:27

took anybody who wanted to go on to the kingdom of the fairies,

0:51:270:51:31

and see the great beauty of the place.

0:51:310:51:34

But a local man came to see the fairies,

0:51:340:51:36

but his wife was very ill at home and she didn't come.

0:51:360:51:39

And he thought he would take some flowers

0:51:390:51:42

back for her from the fairy kingdom.

0:51:420:51:44

So he left, taking with him some flowers,

0:51:440:51:46

and the entrance sealed behind him...

0:51:460:51:49

DOOR GROANS AND SLAMS

0:51:490:51:50

They never opened again.

0:51:500:51:52

And that's because he took the flowers,

0:51:520:51:54

even though he was not supposed to.

0:51:540:51:56

That's a sad story.

0:51:560:51:58

It is in a way, but what an ideal place to have a fairy kingdom.

0:51:580:52:01

-Exactly, this is where it would be.

-Yes.

0:52:010:52:03

That makes me want to swim even more now.

0:52:030:52:05

Neil slips away as silently as he appeared, leaving me alone.

0:52:090:52:15

Well, apart from the fairies.

0:52:150:52:17

This place is amazing,

0:52:190:52:21

so it's time for my own magical transformation, into a wetsuit.

0:52:210:52:25

'Tiptoeing into the fairy kingdom,

0:52:280:52:30

'you soon discover it has its own guardians.'

0:52:300:52:34

Oh, there are leeches everywhere!

0:52:340:52:35

There's a big one and loads of little ones. I'm going to get in quicker.

0:52:350:52:40

I've been told it's 27ft deep in the middle,

0:52:400:52:43

so there's plenty of room for the fairies to hide.

0:52:430:52:45

Oh, my goodness, it's really slippy.

0:52:450:52:47

I'm just going to have to launch,

0:52:470:52:49

that's the only way over the slippy bit. Agh!

0:52:490:52:52

Oh, that's amazing! This is awesome.

0:52:560:53:01

Like being a child again.

0:53:010:53:04

SHE SIGHS CONTENTEDLY

0:53:040:53:05

This is unlike any place I've ever been before.

0:53:120:53:15

Totally secluded, and the mountains just bear down on you as you swim.

0:53:170:53:22

For this small snapshot of time, it's been my own secret, magical world.

0:53:250:53:30

We've been soaking in surprising stories from a secret water world.

0:53:500:53:54

-It's so rich in treasures...

-We're struggling to sum them all up.

0:53:560:54:00

-So we're stepping out of the water...

-And into the fire.

0:54:020:54:06

With a man who's here to inspire.

0:54:080:54:11

If you're looking for someone who's good with words,

0:54:120:54:15

who better to ask than a poet?

0:54:150:54:17

A poet who loves this landscape and its secret delights.

0:54:170:54:22

-Christopher Meredith lives here...

-And writes here.

0:54:220:54:25

So we're taking this man of words aloft...

0:54:310:54:34

-For a poet's-eye view...

-..of this magical, mythical kingdom.

0:54:340:54:38

-The heat from the burner is just extraordinary.

-Incredible, isn't it?

0:54:380:54:42

This is a first for me, in a balloon. Fairly terrified.

0:54:480:54:51

I like things with engines.

0:54:510:54:53

THEY LAUGH

0:54:530:54:54

Farmer's-eye view from up here.

0:54:580:54:59

ADAM WHISTLES TO SHEEP

0:54:590:55:01

Away! Sheepdog's going mad down there now.

0:55:010:55:04

LAUGHING: It's bringing the sheep in!

0:55:040:55:06

-How high up are we, skipper?

-4,500ft.

-4,500ft.

-That's...

0:55:110:55:16

Just an old wicker basket and a balloon.

0:55:160:55:18

Don't say that.

0:55:180:55:20

So every time we look down we're just getting this feeling about the place.

0:55:230:55:26

You can see why it's inspired so many people, it must inspire you, Chris.

0:55:260:55:30

It does, yes, and last March I was down there with my son,

0:55:300:55:33

we were looking at the peat bogs on the top there,

0:55:330:55:36

and we got completely lost in some of this cloud,

0:55:360:55:39

in a landscape that we know really well.

0:55:390:55:42

I think we made an eight-mile walk into a 20-mile walk by getting lost.

0:55:420:55:45

THEY LAUGH

0:55:450:55:46

Somebody I was with one day picked up a Neolithic arrowhead from the

0:55:460:55:49

top of the ridge, so somebody walked along that ridge 5,000 years ago.

0:55:490:55:53

Man, this is a fantastic place to live.

0:55:530:55:56

Chris, your poetry is about this area,

0:55:560:55:58

this seems like the best place to hear some.

0:55:580:56:01

Well, this is a poem about the Black Mountains,

0:56:010:56:04

and it's about the ridge that's just cloaked in cloud

0:56:040:56:07

to the north of us there.

0:56:070:56:08

Taking colour from those clouds that blow across the sun

0:56:120:56:16

Falling and swelling to where that edge of upland bites the sky

0:56:160:56:21

Goes home Resolves at last to almost silence

0:56:210:56:25

In white noise of living air.

0:56:250:56:27

Goodness me, the hairs have stood up on the back of my neck!

0:56:290:56:33

-Floating in the sky, you can just savour that moment.

-Yeah.

0:56:330:56:36

Actually, travelling this slowly over the landscape you can

0:56:510:56:53

contemplate the pattern.

0:56:530:56:55

Human beings are makers of patterns, and also,

0:56:550:56:58

to make a poem is to make a pattern.

0:56:580:57:00

And so it connects with that idea too.

0:57:000:57:03

As a farmer, it's really interesting looking down

0:57:030:57:05

and seeing the patterns of the fields, with round bales

0:57:050:57:08

and sheep, cultivated land down in the valleys,

0:57:080:57:12

and then up into forest and these wild, desolate hills.

0:57:120:57:16

I'm going to bring the tone down, I've got a poem now.

0:57:160:57:19

There once was a farmer from Leeds Who swallowed a packet of seeds

0:57:190:57:23

It soon came to pass He was covered in grass

0:57:230:57:25

But has all the tomatoes he needs!

0:57:250:57:27

THEY LAUGH

0:57:270:57:28

-A wonderful limerick!

-You're so welcome.

-We'll let you know.

0:57:280:57:33

Yeah. "We'll call you."

0:57:330:57:35

What a journey we've enjoyed.

0:57:390:57:42

-Your suggestions for your special secret sites...

-Haven't let us down.

0:57:420:57:46

-We've been inspired.

-And admired a wonderful Welsh water world.

0:57:460:57:52

-We've got to land yet.

-I know.

0:58:010:58:03

With all our hot air, we might stay up here for a lot longer.

0:58:030:58:06

LAUGHTER

0:58:060:58:08

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