Rhaglen 2 Tir Cymru

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-Wales has a subterranean landscape.

-Caves created by water.

-Powerful, wild rivers.

-Quarries created by man.

-Huge chambers...

-..and long, endless tunnels.

-They're dangerous places...

-..but more beautiful at times

-than anywhere on the surface.

-Very few people

-have seen these sights.

-Little filming has taken place here.

-This is my exploration

-of Wales's subterranean landscape.

-Beneath the Surface

-These are the Brecon Beacons,

-in the upper Swansea Valley.

-The rock here is very special.

-It's limestone.

-It deteriorates when it comes

-into contact with water.

-The effect of this

-is more visible underground.

-This area is among the best places

-in Britain to see caves.

-My journey beneath the surface

-of Wales starts here.

-Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave, near Penwyllt

-in the upper Swansea Valley.

-The entrances to many caves

-are accessible and wide...

-..but that isn't the case

-with Ogof Ffynnon Ddu!

-Having navigated your way

-through a small entrance...

-..you must crawl and climb

-through narrow tunnels.

-Having descended a quarter of a mile

-beneath the earth's surface...

-..the cave opens out

-into a huge chamber.

-Cave exploration

-shouldn't be undertaken alone.

-Caves are dangerous places.

-You must travel as part of a team,

-both for safety reasons...

-..and to help illuminate

-the subterranean sights.

-The chamber walls

-are formed from huge blocks.

-They may appear man-made...

-..but nature is the builder.

-These limestone blocks

-were created by water.

-I'm resting here

-and enjoying the tranquillity.

-The only sound I can hear

-is water dripping down the rocks.

-Having worked my way

-through tunnel after tunnel...

-..and countless confined spaces...

-..the cave has opened out at last.

-This is the aptly-named Big Chamber.

-There's enough room for a chapel

-and a large congregation.

-I've walked across the land

-above this cave...

-..oblivious to the fact there was

-such a huge chasm beneath my feet.

-Most caves are formed

-when water dissolves soft rock.

-Almost all Welsh caves

-are formed in limestone.

-The constant flow of water

-in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu...

-..slowly dissolves the limestone.

-Over a long period of time,

-chambers and passages are formed.

-Water also creates new formations.

-This dissolved lime runs and hardens,

-creating natural sculptures.

-As water falls from the roof...

-..the dissolved lime

-is gradually released.

-It slowly reforms

-to create stalactites.

-Stalagmites form on the ground.

-After hundreds

-or thousands of years...

-..stalactites and stalagmites

-connect to form columns.

-The columns in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu...

-..are among the longest

-found in any British cave.

-Some are five metres high.

-Lime can flow in curtains

-from the roof down the walls.

-The cave is decorated

-with calcite formations.

-Some of the formations found

-in Welsh caves are truly remarkable.

-They're far more intricate

-than anything man could create.

-Look at these columns.

-They look like old candles...

-..where melted wax

-has dripped haphazardly.

-Look at those colours!

-Pink, orange, cream and brown.

-How were these sculptures formed?

-As water flowed very slowly

-across the limestone...

-..the acid in it

-dissolved the rock.

-As that dripped, it hardened.

-These columns formed

-over thousands of years.

-These aren't very big...

-..but there are much larger ones

-further into the cave.

-Those were formed

-over a far shorter period of time.

-These are the small

-Ogof Ffynnon Ddu columns.

-The large columns

-lie deep within the cave.

-They're one of the wonders of Wales.

-Special permission is needed

-to see and to film this sight.

-These columns are unique.

-They were formed as a result

-of human activity on the surface.

-Above the cave, there was a kiln

-in which limestone was burnt.

-Over a period of time,

-lime waste dissolved in the rain...

-..and flowed through the rocks,

-forming these columns in the cave.

-Sculptures formed half by nature,

-and, accidentally, half by man.

-The lime kiln above Ogof Ffynnon Ddu

-has disappeared without a trace...

-..but it's obvious why the lime

-industry thrived in Penwyllt.

-Hills in this part of the Beacons

-are almost pure limestone.

-Thanks to the limestone pavements,

-this is a National Nature Reserve.

-It's an important site,

-both above and below ground.

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-There are several sections of Ogof

-Ffynnon Ddu in the Brecon Beacons.

-Lower down the Penwyllt hills,

-the cave is still forming.

-This part is wet and dangerous.

-Rivers flow here.

-Ffynnon Ddu means black spring

-and this is how it got its name.

-The spring bubbles its way

-through a black cave.

-This is the deepest cave in Britain.

-It drops over 300 metres.

-Wow!

-This tunnel

-through which the river flows...

-..stretches for four miles

-up the mountain.

-I've followed it for a mile

-and it's very tiring.

-Sometimes the water gushes,

-sometimes it's slow and deep.

-The weather has been stormy

-and there has been heavy rainfall...

-..so water levels can rise quickly

-and fill the cave.

-That's what makes this

-a dangerous place.

-You must be really careful.

-I'll follow this tunnel

-for another mile.

-This is the longest tunnel

-of its kind in the country.

-A network of tunnels

-cross above and below each other.

-They create

-a complex and confusing labyrinth.

-When the river finds an easier way

-to flow through the rock...

-..it creates deep holes

-and dangerous whirlpools.

-This is one of a series of four

-big whirlpools.

-There's one here,

-another one there...

-..and two further down the tunnel.

-They're up to 20 feet,

-or 6 metres, deep.

-There are still stones

-down in those depths...

-..so they keep turning

-and boring into the rock.

-These pools get deeper every year.

-This is very dangerous

-for any caver.

-If you fell in there, it would be

-like being in a washing machine.

-You'd spin around and around

-and could easily drown.

-Cavers laid down a metal pole

-to help them cross the whirlpool.

-By gushing through the rock,

-the river creates round tunnels.

-The walls are totally clean.

-The incessant flow of water

-cleans them.

-I've said this before

-but I'll say it again.

-I'm amazed by some of the patterns

-which are on this rock.

-They're much more intricate

-than anything a human could create.

-This pattern is like the one

-waves leave on a sandy beach.

-There are hollows here and there.

-These patterns tell us

-this cave was created by a river.

-That comes as no surprise,

-because the river's right here.

-They also reveal in which direction

-the water flowed.

-The river flowed down this way.

-We know this because

-the lower section is smoother.

-If the hollows

-are tightly bunched...

-..it proves that the water

-flowed very quickly.

-It's wonderful

-to be able to read the rock.

-The river created hollows which

-look like metal on the black rock.

-In another part of the cave,

-the rock changes again.

-The flow isn't as strong here

-and water rarely fills the tunnels.

-The lime which dissolved

-in the water...

-..had an opportunity

-to reform on the walls.

-The colours and shapes

-in a cave such as this...

-..are amazing and a real eye-opener.

-Where the water gushes down...

-..it sweeps everything

-downstream with it.

-Here and there,

-the water flows very gently...

-..and the calcium carbonate

-carried by it settles on the rock.

-It covers the rocks

-in an orange blanket.

-It reminds me of melted ice cream.

-Its patterns and colours

-are fascinating.

-Ogof Ffynnon Ddu

-is one of Europe's largest caves.

-It's famous all over the world for

-its wonderful subterranean views...

-..but it isn't the only cave

-in the Brecon Beacons.

-There's an equally important cave

-in the Swansea Valley.

-More famous than Ogof Ffynnon Ddu,

-this is Dan-yr-Ogof.

-Thousands of people

-visit the cave every year.

-Showcaves give people a taste

-of the subterranean life of Wales.

-Few visitors realize the caves are

-far larger than the areas they see.

-Most of the cave system

-hasn't been fully explored as yet.

-Dan-yr-Ogof stretches much further

-underground than you'd expect.

-The problem is

-you must cross a deep lake...

-..and a very narrow section

-further along.

-The showcaves which are open

-to the public are magnificent...

-..but there are even better sections

-deeper in the cave system.

-It was first explored in 1912 by

-the Morgan brothers from Abercraf.

-Imagine having

-to push your way inside...

-..without the aid

-of modern equipment.

-It's hard work even now,

-believe you me.

-Dan-yr-Ogof stretches over ten miles

-beneath the Black Mountain.

-The Morgan brothers faced the lake

-in the first section of the cave.

-They used a coracle

-to cross the lake.

-I'm using a canoe.

-Just as they did a century ago...

-..I had to cross three lakes

-and climb waterfalls.

-The subterranean river

-flowed quickly.

-The Morgan brothers

-needed great mental strength...

-..to embark on this journey

-for the first time.

-What if the water levels

-rose without warning?

-For about a quarter of a mile...

-..I've walked across areas

-where water gushes over the rocks.

-The noise is deafening!

-Thankfully, it will be quieter

-from this point onwards.

-Unlike the Morgan brothers...

-..I can cross the deep pools

-in the knowledge I'm quite safe.

-I also know there's an amazing sight

-to behold at the journey's end.

-The Morgan brothers' journey

-ended here.

-This squeeze was too much,

-even for the intrepid brothers.

-This is hard work.

-Imagine being the first man

-to come down here.

-It's daunting enough for me...

-..knowing dozens of people

-have been here before me.

-They tell me what's at the other end

-is a sight which is worth seeing.

-I hope that's true!

-On we go.

-This is such hard work!

-The worst thing is knowing

-I must come back the same way.

-The first person to squeeze through

-the Long Crawl did it 50 years ago.

-She was a woman from Swansea

-called Eileen Davies.

-Her efforts were well rewarded.

-A breathtaking sight awaited her.

-I paddled across

-a subterranean lake.

-I waded through another lake,

-up to my armpits in icy water.

-I crawled through a tunnel

-no wider than a rabbit hole.

-I'm soaked to the skin

-and my muscles are aching.

-I'd do it all again

-to reach this place.

-This is called Cloud Chamber.

-I've never seen such a thing

-in my life!

-To be honest, I didn't even know

-such a thing existed.

-It's a geological miracle.

-It has been called

-Britain's greatest natural wonder.

-The adjective 'wonderful'

-is often overused...

-..but not in this context.

-Here, beneath the Beacons,

-is a natural sculpture.

-It was created as a result of the

-formation of limestone in Wales...

-..over 300 million years ago...

-..limestone that was subsequently

-transformed by water.

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-There are quarries

-in most parts of Wales.

-It's a rich country geologically,

-with a great deal of useful stone.

-One of Wales's oldest quarries

-is on Anglesey.

-Parys Mountain near Amlwch

-has been excavated for 3,000 years.

-This landscape has been created

-by generations of miners...

-.searching for metals,

-mainly copper.

-The landscape is unnaturally

-coloured by metal mine waste.

-Initially, ore was worked

-on the surface from shallow shafts...

-..but more recent miners

-dug shafts underground.

-This place is very unlike

-any other I've visited.

-There's enough space in general...

-..but here and there,

-it gets incredibly confined.

-Timber is used to prop up the roof

-where there's a risk of collapse.

-People worked down here

-two centuries ago.

-Exploring a mine is far more

-dangerous than exploring a cave.

-These tunnels

-were created by man.

-The walls and posts

-supporting the roof are very fragile.

-It's also a dirtier location,

-with mud and wet clay everywhere.

-The mud is full of acid

-formed from the metal ores.

-Despite the poisonous conditions,

-there is life here.

-The colours seen underground...

-..are the same ones

-seen on the surface.

-These oranges, browns and yellows

-aren't created by copper...

-..but by iron.

-There's clay underfoot here.

-It's so acidic

-that it almost softens the rock...

-..turning it back into clay.

-This may look like a stalactite,

-but it isn't.

-This is called a snotite.

-It looks like snot and isn't solid.

-As you can see, it's soft.

-It's created by bacteria.

-They're one of very few living things

-that can survive without sunlight.

-It gets its nutrients

-from the metals in the rock.

-It then creates these snotites.

-This snotite must be decades old.

-From time to time, you see something

-that needs a new Welsh name.

-Perhaps 'snotidau' would describe

-these formations perfectly.

-Parys mine is famous for its copper,

-but very little of it remains.

-When you do find some,

-it can be seen very clearly.

-It's a bright vivid green.

-This was one of the reasons

-the Romans came to Wales.

-They sought this very rock.

-Since Roman times

-and even earlier than that...

-..people have come to Wales

-in search of precious rocks.

-In the north,

-the most important rock was slate.

-On the slopes above Aberglaslyn

-lies the disused Croesor Quarry.

-Unlike any other slate quarry,

-it was entirely underground.

-It has a subterranean link

-to Rhosydd Quarry...

-..on the other side of the hill.

-It's possible to walk

-from one side to the other...

-..but it's a hazardous journey

-which takes around seven hours.

-Once inside the entrance...

-..you're faced with a huge chamber

-and steps with no safety features.

-The roof looks fragile, with rocks

-that could fall at any time.

-The quarry has been closed

-for over 80 years.

-Once work ceases, a quarry

-instantly becomes a dangerous place.

-Without pumps,

-the chambers fill with water.

-The water is clear and cold.

-This chamber plunges 20 metres

-below the beam seen near the surface.

-It was there to support something

-at the bottom of the chamber.

-This is as far as anyone can venture

-relatively safely and with caution.

-From this point,

-I need climbing equipment...

-..and the support

-of experienced cavers.

-The size of some of the chambers

-only becomes clear when you're here.

-The men who created them

-worked extremely hard.

-I'm about to embark

-on an 80 foot descent.

-It really hammers it home...

-..that exploring somewhere like this

-isn't something you do lightly.

-Abseiling underground

-is an odd feeling.

-I've done this many times

-on mountains...

-..but plunging into the darkness

-is a strange experience.

-The old quarrymen

-used simple ropes to do this.

-They were brave workers.

-Having reached the bottom,

-I can see how vast the chamber is.

-It's one of the largest subterranean

-chambers in any slate quarry.

-It was created by hand,

-without the aid of modern machines.

-Leading from the chamber,

-tunnels head in several directions.

-This is an old railway track.

-Two tracks met at this junction.

-One came from that direction

-and one came from behind me.

-They carried slate from the quarry

-out into the open air.

-The trucks would have been pushed.

-It's completely silent here now...

-..but imagine how busy it was

-when hundreds of people worked here.

-Imagine the noise of explosions

-and men talking.

-It's all gone.

-There was no electric light.

-Candles illuminated the tunnels.

-Because this area

-was far from the entrance...

-..much of the equipment

-was left behind.

-Chains were also left here.

-These were put here

-to help the men cross...

-.from one side of the chamber

-to the other.

-I must do the same thing

-but I'll use a far safer method.

-There were paths from one side

-of the mountain to the other...

-..but they're now either underwater

-or they've collapsed.

-You can't cross

-unless you use a zip wire.

-Swinging across like this

-is the only safe way.

-This is the method I must use today.

-The quarrymen were used

-to conditions underground.

-It's an adventure for me, but they

-had to do this to earn a living.

-They had to work

-in extremely dangerous conditions.

-I have ropes to support me

-as I cross the old bridge.

-I doubt the old quarrymen

-would have used any aids.

-Having crossed the shaft,

-a tunnel led to Rhosydd Quarry.

-During the 1960s, chambers

-and tunnels on the Croesor side...

-..were used to store explosives

-by a local company.

-They are no longer used

-for that purpose.

-The only remains now

-are those of the quarry...

-..which operated here

-between 1846 and 1930.

-The most interesting things

-are those items they left behind.

-An old barrel,

-the wood having rotted away.

-This would have been

-an old fuse box.

-A black fuse snakes along here.

-It would have burned slowly...

-..to give them time

-to withdraw before the explosion.

-Over there,

-I can see a personal item.

-It's an old cigarette packet.

-One of the last quarrymen

-must have left it there.

-When we think about

-the legacy of the quarries...

-..we think about

-mountains of slate waste...

-..left in Blaenau Ffestiniog,

-Llanberis and Bethesda.

-It's important to remember...

-..that they also completely changed

-the Welsh landscape underground.

-The workers here deposited

-most of the waste back underground.

-That's why there are fewer mounds

-outside the quarry.

-This isn't waste.

-It's a collapsed roof

-on the Rhosydd Quarry side.

-It's a timely reminder that

-an old quarry is a dangerous place.

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-Dinas mine is near Pontneddfechan

-in the Vale of Neath.

-It has been closed

-for almost 50 years.

-The first thing which strikes you

-is its sheer size.

-You usually find narrow tunnels

-when you explore an old mine...

-..but this feels very spacious.

-There are no wooden beams

-propping up the roof.

-It's a location which feels safe.

-The reason for that

-is the way they mined here.

-This is a pillar

-which was left behind.

-They used these large pillars

-to prop up the roof.

-It was a safe system which allowed

-miners to work without worrying.

-This was safer

-and far easier for them...

-..than bringing in timber or iron

-to support the roof.

-They knew these pillars would last

-much longer than timber or iron.

-It was also easier because

-they didn't have to dig this out.

-They mined

-silica-rich sandstone here.

-The sandstone was used

-to make special bricks...

-..that could withstand

-high temperatures.

-They were used to build furnaces

-in factories in the Vale of Neath.

-The bricks were also exported

-across the world...

-..over a period of 150 years.

-This is an interesting place.

-Look at the roof.

-The miners inserted iron pegs here

-to support something.

-There are more pegs over there.

-There's iron in this rock.

-Can you see those tiny stalactites?

-They were created when water

-flowed through the rock...

-..extracting iron as it flowed.

-That iron sticks to the tip,

-making the stalactite longer.

-It looks like a nail

-protruding from the roof.

-All these tunnels

-were dug with picks and shovels.

-The workers mined the sandstone,

-leaving pillars to support the roof.

-This is the oldest part of the mine.

-This dates back to 1790.

-It's over two centuries old.

-I can now see how they opened up

-these huge chambers.

-First, they dug the tunnels.

-There's one here

-and another one there.

-There's another lower level

-and another one below that.

-You can see pick marks

-on the walls and on the roof.

-The miners came here day after day

-without complaining.

-They knew they had no choice

-but to carry on with the work.

-It's incredible.

-Dozens of men worked here

-when the mine was in its heyday.

-The noise

-would have been deafening...

-..and the air thick with dust.

-On the surface, we tend to clear

-old industrial remains...

-..but the industrial landscape

-remains untouched underground.

-Of course, mines are locked due to

-the dangers lurking within them...

-..but they are then forgotten.

-This water is really clear.

-It's incredibly quiet here too.

-All you can hear is dripping water.

-Of the hundreds of metres

-of tunnels here...

-..half of them are flooded.

-This water is over 20 metres deep.

-That's incredible.

-When they worked here,

-the water was constantly pumped out.

-The mine closed in 1964

-and the pumps were switched off...

-..allowing the water

-to rise to its natural level.

-There may be no incredible natural

-views in mines and quarries...

-..but they are landscapes

-which record the past.

-They're locations that are

-a part of Welsh heritage.

-The Pembrokeshire coast,

-near St Govan's Head.

-It's a dramatic sight.

-The steep cliffs are continuously

-pounded by the sea.

-There are caves in the cliffs.

-There are similar caves

-along the coast of Wales.

-It's very difficult

-to explore these caves.

-You've yet to see the crew which

-accompanies me and keeps me safe.

-It's important to stress

-that exploring a sea cave...

-..can't be taken lightly.

-You need an experienced team

-around you.

-Sometimes, merely reaching a cave...

-..is as much of an adventure

-as exploring the cave itself.

-It doesn't come more adventurous,

-dangerous or dramatic than this.

-This is Saint Govan's Cave

-in south Pembrokeshire.

-Simply reaching this cave

-is a feat in itself.

-I hang over the cliff, safe in the

-knowledge I'm supported by ropes.

-You wouldn't want to try this

-without assistance.

-The cave

-offers some much-needed shelter.

-It's hard to believe in a cave

-half way down a steep cliff...

-..but there are

-some ancient remains here.

-Can you see the black line

-beneath the mud?

-It's charcoal, which tells us

-this was an old fireplace.

-It makes sense because

-I'm close to the cave entrance.

-Smoke from the fire

-would have been drawn outside.

-They could cook the animals

-they had hunted on the fire.

-Human and animal bones

-have been found deeper into the cave.

-This was a very important place...

-.as were all caves

-during those times.

-We think of caves

-as places to explore..

-..but they were once homes.

-Stone Age people lived here.

-The cave has changed very little

-since then.

-There are several chambers

-and two entrances.

-This is the best view.

-This is known as The Window,

-for obvious reasons.

-This must be

-one of the best views in Wales.

-People lived in this cave

-between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago.

-It would have looked very different

-back then.

-This was the main entrance.

-A shelf led to this entrance

-in those days.

-It was almost like a path

-and allowed people to walk in here.

-You can't do that today.

-The sea would have been further out

-and you could have seen dry land.

-This is the view today.

-The people who lived in the cave...

-..did so a couple of thousand years

-following the Ice Age.

-In those times,

-sea levels were yet to rise.

-The ice was still thick

-in the Poles.

-This would have been a wide valley.

-You can imagine deer grazing here.

-This was a good vantage point

-from which to watch the deer...

-..and to formulate

-a hunting strategy.

-My journey underground

-has been a real eye-opener.

-It gave me the opportunity to see

-landscapes I've never seen before.

-These are locations where people

-have lived, worked and explored...

-..since the early days

-of the human race.

-Very few people are fortunate enough

-to have seen these sights.

-It's important to remember they exist

-and they're a part of Wales.

-We must protect

-our subterranean treasures.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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