Rhaglen 4 Tir Cymru

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-Dinorwig Quarry

-near Llanberis, Gwynedd.

-The snow highlights the tips,

-the old inclines and the tramways.

-It's a dramatic location

-at any time of year...

-..but winter snow

-makes it even more striking.

-This is Fron Quarry

-in the Nantlle Valley.

-It's only about

-ten miles west of Dinorwig.

-Men worked on these cliffs

-in all weathers.

-There are similar quarries

-dotted all over Snowdonia.

-Communities were created because of

-a valuable rock beneath the surface.

-This is one of the landscapes

-that typify Wales.

-Industry often creates

-magnificent landscapes.

-We almost accept them as a natural

-part of the Welsh landscape.

-We aren't the only ones.

-A Sign of Work

-Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-There were once pastures

-on the slopes of Moelwyn Mawr.

-In a little over 100 years,

-man transformed the landscape.

-It's an extreme example

-of man's power to alter terrain.

-Industry has left

-an indelible mark here.

-Modern machinery makes man's impact

-on the landscape much more dramatic.

-The land reclamation scheme

-at Ffos-y-Fran near Merthyr Tydfil.

-This was the site of mines and works

-linked to Merthyr's iron industry.

-Since 2007, the old industry

-has been literally scraped away.

-It's a perfect example of how man...

-..can markedly alter the landscape

-in a very short space of time.

-This is the largest industrial site

-I've ever visited.

-It covers an area of 1,000 acres.

-The spot on which I'm now sitting

-was a hill.

-They dug it all out to reach

-the coal that lay beneath it.

-The company digging for coal

-will have to restore the land...

-..and recreate the uplands

-as accurately as possible.

-Before reclamation work started,

-this derelict land was dangerous.

-The land had to be made safe.

-The solution was to use new industry

-to eradicate the old one.

-In the meantime, the barren land

-has been put to good use.

-A lapwing nests

-and sits on her eggs.

-Very few lapwings

-now nest in Wales...

-..but several pairs are breeding

-at Ffos-y-Fran.

-The landscape closely replicates

-the natural habitat they need.

-Flat, bare land that offers them

-a clear view of their surroundings.

-It makes it easier for them

-to spot predators.

-They're great birds

-to see and to hear.

-This is the male.

-His crest is longer than the female's

-and he shares parenting duties.

-The birds call almost ceaselessly.

-They keep in contact

-with each other...

-..and with their chicks

-once they've hatched.

-The chicks can leave the nest

-immediately.

-In such an exposed location,

-this puts pressure on the parents.

-Most of the chicks are killed

-by crows and birds of prey.

-These chase a kestrel

-away from the nesting site.

-With a bit of luck, one or two

-Ffos-y-Fran chicks will survive...

-..and return to the Merthyr uplands

-to nest themselves.

-In another part of Ffos-y-Fran...

-..another form of wildlife

-has re-established itself.

-Plants now grow in the old ponds

-that supplied the old industries...

-..and wetland birds

-have made their homes here.

-This is yellow iris, a plant

-that likes wetlands and bogs...

-..which it found

-on industrial land.

-As we've already seen, wildlife

-can thrive on industrial land.

-The Point of Ayr gas terminal,

-Flintshire.

-This plant processes gas extracted

-from undersea rocks in Liverpool Bay.

-Owing to the dangers of gas,

-the plant is closed to the public...

-..but this fence

-doesn't keep out wildlife.

-This is a great place for wildlife.

-The gas terminal

-is a dangerous place for humans.

-The whole area is fenced off

-in order to keep people out.

-You'd never think this would be

-a haven for wildlife, but it is.

-Birds work their way in and animals

-go under or over the fences.

-This place is full of rabbits.

-Look around and you'll see

-rabbits everywhere...

-..nibbling away at the grass.

-Where there are rabbits,

-there will also be predators.

-The gas terminal

-is ideal for rabbits...

-..because there's lots of grass here.

-There are also lots of hiding places

-for them, if necessary.

-They have found a fantastic home.

-However, life isn't perfect.

-There are foxes

-beyond the gas terminal fence.

-With few people around,

-it's a safe hunting ground...

-..even in broad daylight.

-This one is obviously

-very familiar with the location.

-It knows there's plenty of food here.

-This isn't a rabbit, it's a hare.

-The hare is too fast for the fox,

-but a rabbit isn't so lucky.

-Sometimes, it's good to be a hare.

-This location is a safe one

-for the fox's cubs.

-These two are about two months old.

-They already have

-the adult's large ears.

-There are four of them in all...

-..a successful breeding season.

-The mother keeps an eye

-on her cubs as they play.

-Has this one already

-learned to hunt?

-It's more likely to be a gift

-from his mother.

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-Mynydd Epynt, between Brecon

-and Llanwrtyd in south Wales.

-The army is in combat training.

-Few realize that such drama

-happens on the uplands of Wales.

-Training exercises

-are staged here quite regularly.

-The army has owned this land

-on the Epynt uplands since WW2.

-They use the land

-as an artillery range.

-They've even built

-a fake village here.

-It looks like an old German village,

-but nobody lives here.

-Most of Epynt is uninhabited

-because the area is so dangerous.

-The army controls this area closely.

-Sheep graze here all year round...

-..but no-one is allowed

-to cultivate the land.

-It is left unfertilized.

-It's a perfect situation for waxcaps.

-They are fungi

-that grow in the early autumn.

-There are several varieties.

-They come in all shapes and colours.

-Scarlet waxcaps.

-Meadow waxcaps.

-Butter waxcaps.

-There's great detail under the caps.

-These are beautiful,

-attractive forms.

-No-one knows what their purpose is

-because no creature eats them.

-Wales is one of the best places

-in the world for this sort of fungus.

-Waxcaps grow here on Epynt

-because the army controls the land.

-Holyhead.

-It's among Britain's busiest ports.

-Of course, this landscape

-is totally man-made.

-You won't see

-a scrap of natural land here.

-All you'll see are a few rocks.

-It's an ideal place for gulls

-to gather and to fall out!

-Yet, in its own way,

-the port is a rich landscape...

-..because of the habitat it offers.

-A black guillemot

-has caught a prawn.

-It must have fallen off

-a fishing boat.

-The gulls spot it immediately.

-Gulls are among

-our most aggressive birds.

-They kill and eat

-anything that they can swallow.

-It's left in peace this time.

-Gulls are a common sight

-in our ports and villages.

-A black guillemot in a Welsh harbour

-is a very rare sight.

-They nest on the quay here.

-They usually nest in crevices

-in rocks along the coast.

-In the whole of Wales, there are

-only a few pairs on Anglesey...

-..and one pair in Fishguard.

-This is the only place in Wales

-where they nest in man-made terrain.

-There are a few families here.

-They never nest together

-in large numbers...

-..not even in a natural habitat.

-You'll only see them here

-in the summer.

-They live on the sea

-for the rest of the year.

-This pair feed their chicks far from

-prying eyes, in the harbour wall.

-The port is a perfect place

-for them.

-There's plenty of food

-in the harbour...

-..and the holes protect them from

-predators that could eat the chicks.

-There are plenty of those around.

-Gulls are nature's coastguards.

-Llanymynech near Oswestry.

-This is an old limestone quarry.

-There's an old quarry

-in almost every part of Wales.

-So much of the landscape

-has been quarried over the years...

-..because of the valuable rocks

-we have here.

-The quarry at Llanymynech

-is clearly visible from the air...

-..but the old scars

-are fading gradually.

-Trees and plants

-are re-establishing themselves.

-There are birds here too.

-Kestrels live in several habitats,

-as long as there are plenty of mice.

-The screech of a different bird

-can be heard in the background.

-This is the classic habitat

-of the peregrine.

-Mountainous rocks

-are its natural nesting place.

-The ledges cut into the cliffs

-suit it perfectly.

-A pair nests here,

-with this year's chicks.

-It's hard to tell them apart,

-but this is a chick.

-Its back is slightly browner.

-They're noisy birds,

-especially when it's feeding time.

-This one will have to wait.

-I enjoy visiting old quarries.

-They're interesting places,

-both historically and naturally.

-Vegetation grows on the rocks,

-there's a kestrel flying around.

-There's a peregrine

-feeding its chicks.

-There's a lot of colour

-on the ground.

-This is the most important place

-for wildlife here.

-There are plenty of butterflies,

-dragonflies and bees here...

-..but most importantly, the flowers.

-Some are exceedingly rare.

-In summer, the quarry floor

-is a carpet of orchids.

-These are common spotted orchids.

-They like calcareous soil.

-Each stem is full of little flowers.

-A wild habitat is fast developing

-at the old Llanymynech quarry.

-The lime from the limestone cliffs...

-..has helped create a habitat

-where life can regenerate.

-In Penffordd near Wrexham,

-there's another quarry.

-Stones from here were used

-to construct the Mersey Tunnel.

-The wildlife here is so rich

-that it's now a nature reserve.

-There's a huge variety of life here.

-The wild liquorice

-has attracted countless insects.

-This is a cuckoo bee

-rather than a honey bee.

-It's distinctive

-because of its white rear.

-Like the cuckoo, it lays its eggs

-in another bee's nest...

-..usually in a wasp's nest.

-This is an oak weevil.

-It has a long snout

-that it uses to bore into acorns.

-It then lays eggs inside the acorns.

-This is a shield bug.

-It's named because its back

-resembles a shield.

-There are dragonflies here too.

-This is a clubtail dragonfly.

-There's a swelling

-on the male's tail.

-This is a green tiger beetle.

-It lays its eggs on the ground.

-Crane flies also mate here.

-The fact that this

-is the site of an old quarry...

-..doesn't worry these creatures

-one little bit.

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-The Nantlle Valley.

-A glaciated valley

-with steep sides...

-..rising to the summit of Y Garn

-on the right.

-Lower down the valley

-is the old Cilgwyn Quarry.

-They don't dig for slate here today.

-They bury household refuse here.

-This tip can't hold any more refuse.

-Work here will have ceased

-by the time you view this programme.

-The waste will have been

-hidden by soil.

-They will have to find

-another hole to fill.

-Only time will tell what effect

-this process has on the terrain.

-As things stand,

-we can't answer the question...

-..and we can't solve the problem.

-We're all to blame.

-When the machines leave, the land

-won't be disturbed for a while.

-Nature can then re-establish itself.

-There is already life here.

-The crow eats worms, small animals,

-any dead animal...

-..and other birds' eggs and chicks.

-Picking through our rubbish

-is far easier.

-This is one reason

-why crows and gulls abound.

-They have adapted to living with man

-and they thrive on our waste.

-Cwmystwyth in Ceredigion.

-Like many Welsh valleys,

-it's rich in ore.

-That's because the valley

-lies on a geological fault.

-Millions of years ago,

-as these hills were being created...

-..ore-rich veins were pushed into

-weak points in the original rocks.

-As a result

-of that geological event...

-..man has mined for metal

-for almost 4,000 years.

-At first, they mined for copper

-on the hills.

-They then used water to scrub

-the slopes for lead and silver.

-More recently, they dug for zinc.

-The work stopped around 90 years ago.

-The old buildings

-and the spoil heaps left behind...

-..create a landscape that records

-an important part of Welsh heritage.

-It's a monument to an old industry.

-The land has been worked

-to such a degree...

-..that it takes time for wildlife

-to re-establish itself here.

-Having said that,

-specialized life can survive...

-..even on highly toxic land.

-Parys Mountain on Anglesey.

-This was once the world's

-largest copper mine.

-It's also one of the world's

-earliest mining sites.

-The extensive mining seen here,

-especially in the 18th century...

-..created a dramatic, unique

-and beautiful landscape.

-These could be pictures of Mars.

-Parys Mountain

-is an interesting place.

-It's a strange place too.

-It's a scar, a huge man-made hole,

-but a beautiful scar in my opinion.

-Just look at all these colours -

-the oranges, reds, browns and greys.

-These days, we seem to prefer

-filling in old industrial sites...

-..and covering them with grass.

-From a wildlife perspective,

-that's a shame...

-..especially in a place like this.

-Some very specialized creatures

-live here.

-The soil on the heaps is coloured

-by copper, lead and sulphur.

-These minerals

-create a highly acidic habitat...

-..challenging conditions

-for any form of life.

-The only obvious plant

-you'll see is heather.

-It grows on the thin layer of soil

-that has developed on the surface.

-Heather likes acidic soil.

-It grows across Wales,

-especially on the uplands.

-There is less obvious and unique life

-here too, and it grows on the rocks.

-Some special creatures grow here

-on the bare rocks.

-These are lichens.

-I call lichens creatures...

-..even though they were classed

-as plants when I was at school.

-Experts now say lichens

-should be in a separate category.

-These lichens grow

-in a toxic location.

-There's metal in these rocks.

-There are three close together here.

-One orange, one yellow-green

-and one dark green.

-The orange one has locked away

-the iron and put it to one side.

-It had to do that

-in order to be able to feed.

-The light-coloured lichen is linked

-with ore-rich industrial areas.

-The dark green lichen is always

-closely linked with copper.

-Lichens like these have an advantage.

-Very little else will grow here,

-so they face no competition.

-Whether they be

-creatures or plants...

-..lichens may not be the most

-amazing life forms in the world.

-But they show life's ability

-to evolve in harsh conditions...

-..and its potential to survive

-on even the strangest terrain.

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-Blaenavon, Gwent,

-in the shadow of Blorenge mountain.

-It's one of the most exposed areas

-on the Welsh uplands.

-The village was established

-because of coal and iron.

-There was a plentiful supply

-of limestone, coal and iron ore here.

-The work may have stopped...

-..but the landscape commemorates

-south Wales's industrial past.

-There's some wild moorland

-between the old coal tips.

-It's a perfect spot for owls.

-This is a short-eared owl.

-It's searching for a vole.

-These owls hunt during the day,

-usually in the last hour of daylight.

-They live and nest

-on the uplands in summer...

-..and move to lowlands

-and estuaries in winter.

-Clearly, this one finds enough food

-in Blaenavon even in winter.

-It flies low and slowly...

-..swooping when it spots a vole.

-It caught one.

-It eats the vole in one gulp.

-Owls wouldn't have flown here...

-..when the coal and iron industries

-were in their heyday.

-Today, there's a large area of land

-available to owls.

-The very fact that owls hunt here

-means other creatures live here too.

-Wildlife can re-establish itself

-if it's left in peace.

-Often, new habitats are created

-on old industrial landscapes...

-..habitats that are far removed

-from what was there originally.

-The life that re-establishes itself

-isn't what was here originally...

-..or what was here

-when industry flourished.

-Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

-Another area with close ties

-to the coal industry.

-An old coal tip

-still stands here too...

-..but there's

-far more vegetation here.

-That's because

-it's lower than Blaenavon...

-..and it's in a sheltered hollow.

-It's surrounded

-by relatively untamed land.

-Life on this tip

-is very different from Blaenavon.

-I find it odd that people think

-old coal tips are bereft of life.

-That's far from true.

-They're very interesting.

-This is reindeer moss.

-It usually grows in the Highlands,

-places like the Cairngorms...

-..or on the tundra.

-It flourishes here because

-of the waste beneath the soil.

-This, in turn, attracts wildlife

-such as the grayling.

-It's a butterfly you usually see

-in dry areas near the coast.

-There's food for the grayling here

-and it sunbathes on the lichen.

-It's also fond of dark, bare soil,

-which is what coal provides.

-It warms up and retains heat

-far better than this vegetation.

-Butterflies often sunbathe

-on those bare spots.

-The grayling has perfect camouflage.

-It closes its wings

-when it rests.

-Its body shape

-melts into the background.

-You will only see glimpses

-of its colour.

-The butterfly and the lichen

-have discovered a new habitat.

-One created by the coal industry.

-Wildlife is re-establishing itself

-in the quarries of north Wales too.

-This is Dorothea Quarry.

-It was the Nantlle Valley's

-biggest quarry in its day.

-It closed 40 years ago.

-There is now a lake

-where the deep quarry pit once stood.

-The old buildings

-are like slate pyramids.

-From this pyramid,

-a cable ran across the pit...

-..to help men lift heavy slates

-from the bottom of the quarry.

-The old buildings

-and the equipment...

-..make it an important site

-in Welsh industrial history.

-You could argue that this terrain

-is as important...

-..as the natural terrain

-higher up the valley.

-You could also argue that more

-vegetation grows on the old tips...

-..than on the upland pastures.

-Since the quarry closed,

-bracken and moss have grown here.

-Imagine this place

-when work was at its peak.

-Hundreds worked here,

-if not thousands.

-Nature had no opportunity to grow

-or to even take root here.

-Fresh waste was always being dumped.

-Once the quarry closed,

-moss and bracken began to grow.

-I like this one,

-officially known as parsley fern.

-It's also known locally

-as quarryman's fern.

-These die and create soil.

-Flowering plants then come in.

-Over decades, trees like birches

-and willows grow.

-In 150 years' time, I'm sure

-there will be oak trees here.

-We think of industrial locations

-as contaminated land.

-That's true to some extent,

-but they also encourage new life.

-The Trostre works near Llanelli.

-Here, you'll see one of the best

-evening bird shows imaginable.

-Jackdaws flock to roost

-on land around the tinplate works.

-They gather

-on the electricity pylons.

-A few arguments break out

-over who can stand where...

-..but it's generally

-a friendly gathering.

-They communicate

-with each other constantly.

-They're very sociable.

-Many of them

-are related to each other.

-By sticking close together...

-..they share information about good

-feeding grounds for the next day.

-There's just time for some preening

-before bedtime.

-This one looks like it's had a perm!

-But this gathering takes place

-in a man-made location.

-We often accept industrial land

-as part of the natural landscape.

-Amazing sights can make us forget

-about industrial sites.

-This is one such site,

-in Abereiddi Bay, Pembrokeshire.

-This was once a slate quarry.

-The cliffs aren't unlike others

-along the Pembrokeshire coast.

-Jackdaws come here

-to find nesting places.

-They're very common along the coast.

-This is one of their natural

-nesting places.

-Fulmars also nest here.

-For these birds,

-the cliffs chiselled by man...

-..are as effective

-as ones shaped by the sea.

-The ruins of the old quarry

-are still here.

-They're covered in vegetation.

-The sea campion likes level locations

-such as an old wall.

-It blooms between May and August.

-Pennyworts flourish on the wall too.

-Originally, these plants

-grew on coastal rocks...

-..but an old wall

-is equally suitable.

-This amazing view

-was created by industry.

-It's easy to forget that.

-Industry has left its mark

-on the landscape all over Wales...

-..from the quarries of north Wales...

-..to the oil refineries

-of south Wales.

-In less than 300 years...

-..industry has changed the shape

-and structure of the terrain.

-It has often done so

-in the most dramatic way imaginable.

-Wildlife has adapted

-to these new habitats.

-The peregrine

-lives near an ironworks.

-Lapwings roost

-in the shadow of an oil refinery.

-Choughs nest

-in an old quarry building.

-Swans use pools near huge works.

-To a large extent, no Welsh landscape

-is free of industry.

-Industry has had an impact

-on every part of the terrain.

-New industries

-are being added to the old ones.

-For better or for worse...

-..industry is a huge part

-of the Welsh terrain.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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