Rhaglen 5 Tir Cymru

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-People have created paths in Wales

-for thousands of years.

-Paths for walking...

-..paths across water...

-..paths

-in the form of railway tracks...

-..and paths for vehicles.

-Paths have helped us reach

-every part of the country.

-They also enhance

-the landscapes of Wales...

-..and they offer new habitats

-for wildlife.

-Following Paths

-The best time to walk along

-a woodland lane is in the spring.

-It's the busiest time of the year

-for birds.

-They're nesting.

-This woodland lane

-is near Abermawr, Pembrokeshire.

-It's surrounded by mature trees.

-Walking along a secluded lane

-is a great way to watch birds.

-You usually hear them

-before you see them.

-If you want to glimpse

-a remarkable sight...

-..you must listen very carefully.

-This lane is near Wrexham.

-As I walked down here, I heard

-the sound of chicks in their nest.

-I thought there was a hole

-in the wall, through which they feed.

-I searched

-but couldn't find anything.

-I listened again and realized

-they're inside this post.

-The nest is down here.

-The adults gain access

-to their chicks through this hole.

-What a fantastic place to nest.

-To a little tit, an old, hollow post

-is like a hole in a tree.

-The nest is full of chicks.

-They can be heard calling constantly

-inside the post.

-The adults visit the nest

-over 1,000 times every day.

-A robin is watching the action

-as it unfolds.

-There are old and new paths

-in every part of Wales.

-This is in Meirionnydd...

-..between Cader Idris

-and the Mawddach estuary.

-There has been a path in this valley

-since prehistoric times.

-The ancient stones...

-..which are over 3,000 years old,

-suggest that is the case.

-A wonderful feature

-of our ancient paths here in Wales...

-..is that they cross some

-of our most dramatic landscapes.

-This is Ffordd Ddu.

-It comes over the hill,

-zigzags its way down...

-..before leading back up the valley.

-What is the origin of the path?

-There's no doubt

-it is an ancient road.

-It dates back to the Stone Age,

-maybe to the Bronze Age.

-Some say the Romans

-walked along this route.

-It was here in medieval times

-and in the days of the drovers.

-It's still used today.

-People through the ages

-have used Ffordd Ddu.

-It was at its busiest 200 years ago

-when drovers drove cattle down it.

-There are buildings linked

-to those times along the route.

-Drovers would have seen this bird

-during the summer.

-A wheatear.

-It's a bird which nests under stones

-on the uplands.

-A stone in an old ruin

-suits it perfectly.

-I love old ruins like this one

-and the wildlife within.

-There's lichen and ferns here.

-Birds nest in the walls.

-These old buildings were usually

-barns or farmhouses...

-..but this is an old tavern..

-It stood near Ffordd Ddu which led

-from the coast to Dolgellau and Bala.

-The drovers and their dogs

-would stay here.

-When I first came here...

-..I couldn't fathom why there were

-two walls here, side by side.

-I've since learned that's where

-they put animals overnight.

-The majority of the old paths on the

-Welsh uplands are quite prominent.

-They've been well trodden,

-over the centuries.

-Some of the ancient paths

-are far more difficult to spot.

-I'm following

-one of the oldest routes in Wales.

-The Carneddau are to my right...

-..and Llanfairfechan and Anglesey

-are to my left.

-It's tricky to find the routes

-and work out how old they are.

-This one

-is covered in gorse and heather.

-Research carried out here...

-..indicates there's an old

-Roman road beneath my feet.

-That road leads

-from Segontium, Caernarfon...

-..around that hill and onwards

-to Caer Rhun, in the Conwy Valley.

-I'd have assumed the old track here

-was the ancient road...

-..but I'd be mistaken.

-There's hardly a trace of this

-Roman Road, even from the air.

-Ironically, these modern pylons

-follow the path of the Roman road.

-This road, between the Menai Straits

-and Conwy Valley...

-..was used long before Roman times

-and the national grid.

-Like Ffordd Ddu...

-..this road was also marked

-by standing stones...

-..which were laid 3,000 years ago.

-This is called Bwlch y Ddeufaen -

-Pass of the Two Stones.

-The heather and the gorse

-are at their best in late summer.

-That's where you'll see birds...

-..such as the stonechat,

-searching for insects.

-In August,

-you're likely to see the skylark...

-..hiding on the ground

-rather than singing high above.

-The nesting season is over.

-The old paths had no impact

-on the landscape or the wildlife.

-They were simple paths

-linking different areas of Wales.

-They were used to drive livestock

-and to transport produce to market.

-The only visible remains

-on the landscape...

-..are small bridges like this one

-in Dyffryn Ardudwy.

-Industry brought with it

-some far more permanent paths.

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-Tennant Canal near Pant y Sais,

-between Neath and Swansea.

-Like the other canals of Wales,

-it was built in the Industrial Age...

-..to transport coal,

-iron and all sorts of goods.

-The canal's golden age,

-in terms of traffic...

-..came before

-the advent of the railway.

-It was the only convenient method

-to transport heavy goods.

-This is the canal's golden age,

-in terms of wildlife.

-This is a golden-ringed dragonfly.

-Streams and rivers

-are its natural habitat...

-..but the clean canal water

-also appeals to it.

-This one has caught a wasp.

-It's the insect world's

-best predator.

-It takes its time to chew the wasp

-into tiny pieces.

-A special spider

-has made Tennant Canal its home.

-Here it is.

-The fen raft spider.

-This is one of only three locations

-in Britain in which it lives.

-It's our biggest spider.

-This is a female.

-She has a sack of eggs

-under her body.

-When the eggs are ready to hatch...

-..she'll spin a web to create

-a nursery for the young spiders.

-There's a female fen raft spider

-half a metre in front of me.

-By her side, you'll see a pouch

-made of spider's web.

-There are hundreds of tiny spiders

-in that pouch.

-The mother lies next to the nest...

-..to protect her young

-from any other spider or insect...

-..which may come along

-and attempt to eat them.

-This habitat is perfect for her.

-It's a combination of tall, dense

-vegetation and clean, still water.

-It's exactly the habitat she needs

-and that's what the canal gives her.

-The young spiders

-stay in the nursery for a week.

-They'll then leave the web

-and scatter in the dense vegetation.

-Hundreds are produced

-but very few will survive.

-This spider is seen only

-during the summer.

-It takes three years

-to reach maturity.

-It hides in the vegetation

-in the winter.

-In springtime...

-..it hunts on the surface of

-the water and at the base of plants.

-Having produced her offspring,

-her work is done...

-..and she'll die

-at the end of the summer.

-There are several canals in Wales.

-This is Llangollen Canal.

-It links Cheshire and Llangollen.

-This is Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

-It carries the canal

-over the River Dee.

-It's the longest,

-highest aqueduct in Britain.

-The canal was built to service

-the coal and iron industries...

-..which were rapidly expanding in

-this area in the early 19th century.

-Industrial works are still visible

-near Pontcysyllte.

-They remind us why the canals

-were originally built.

-The structure of the bridge

-is remarkable...

-..and it is now

-a World Heritage Site.

-The richest canal in Wales

-in the context of wildlife...

-..is Montgomery Canal.

-This is a family of swans.

-The canal forms

-the perfect habitat for them.

-The thick growth along the banks

-is ideal for nesting...

-..and there's a plentiful supply

-of edible plants in the water.

-The adult can graze

-deep beneath the surface...

-..thanks to its long neck.

-I live close to this canal

-and I often walk along its banks.

-This section of the canal is near

-Llanymynech, north of Welshpool.

-It's good to see the lock and

-some of the machinery is still here.

-It's a pretty sight

-with all the vegetation.

-They've been idle for over 50 years.

-Every other canal in Wales

-is an industrial canal...

-..but this is a rural canal.

-It was built in the 18th century...

-..mainly to transport lime taken

-from the quarries near Llanymynech...

-..to mid Wales, where it was crushed

-and scattered on the land.

-Agricultural goods such as wool were

-then transported back this way...

-..to urban areas of England.

-The canal flows across

-the rich flatlands of Montgomery.

-Canal constructors chose flat areas,

-wherever possible...

-..to keep the canal on one level and

-to avoid building too many locks.

-In Llanymynech, it was necessary

-to cross River Vyrnwy.

-An aqueduct was built

-to carry the canal over the river.

-Limestone from Llanymynech

-was used to build the aqueduct.

-The water which now flows across

-the aqueduct is full of plants.

-They include a few rare species.

-This is one such plant -

-water plantain.

-This is the best section

-of the canal for wildlife.

-The canal is also full of fish.

-As the water flows slowly,

-they're different from river fish.

-These are rudd.

-They like to be together,

-in large shoals.

-Their red fins

-make them very distinctive.

-Here's a sight I didn't expect

-to see when I walked along the canal.

-A three-foot long grass snake.

-Having said that,

-it's a perfect habitat.

-The water is full of frogs and fish

-and there are mice along the banks.

-The vegetation provides shelter.

-You rarely see them in the water.

-It must be too hot for them today.

-It swims through the water

-in search of food.

-It's sure to find something

-in the vegetation.

-It swims quietly and quickly,

-as it scours the canal banks.

-The grass snake isn't venomous.

-It uses speed to catch its prey.

-When it spots a fish,

-a frog or a chick...

-..it will pounce.

-It tastes the air continually.

-That's how it smells

-and senses what's around it.

-This is Wales's largest snake

-and it loves being in the water.

-Canals only had a ten-year reign

-as the main paths of industry.

-The canal was usurped

-circa 1850...

-..when a better method

-of transportation emerged.

-Railways appeared on the landscape.

-In less than half a century,

-they'd reached every part of Wales.

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-This is Dolau station.

-I'm here to catch

-the first train this morning.

-I've lived in mid Wales all my life

-but I've never been here before.

-It's a lovely station.

-This must be the most picturesque

-of all Wales's railway stations.

-The fact that it's still open

-is very important.

-This is The Heart of Wales Line.

-It runs for 120 miles

-from Shrewsbury to Swansea.

-It's one of the most beautiful

-railway lines in Britain.

-It cuts across

-some of Wales's most stunning areas.

-This is Cynghordy Viaduct.

-It straddles the valley

-between Llandovery and Llanwrtyd.

-When the railway was built,

-wonderful landscapes were created.

-The Heart of Wales Line...

-..climbs one of the country's

-steepest hills near Sugar Loaf.

-It's a wonderful journey.

-You see breathtaking scenery you'd

-never glimpse from a car or on foot.

-Most of the rural railways of Wales

-have been closed, of course...

-..like this old line in Dryslwyn.

-This linked Llandeilo

-and Carmarthen...

-..but it's been closed

-for over 20 years.

-There are hundreds of miles of

-disused railways like this in Wales.

-They were important

-as they connected communities.

-Even today, years after they were

-closed down...

-..they take you to secluded places

-which you won't see from the road.

-This old line is in Gilfach,

-near Rhayader in mid Wales.

-It ran from Llanidloes

-to Talyllyn, in the Beacons.

-At one time, it was very busy.

-It was part of a network

-which linked north and south Wales.

-Today,

-it's an important nature reserve...

-..with mature growth which provides

-shelter to a variety of wildlife.

-This young jay

-has recently flown the nest.

-The willow warbler

-is a summer visitor to Wales.

-Part of the line

-which runs through Gilfach...

-..is surrounded by woodland

-which is rapidly masking it.

-It's wonderful to see bilberries

-growing near the old railway.

-This line has been closed

-for over 50 years...

-..but when it was open, there was

-a station at Marteg, behind me.

-It was busy here in summer.

-Hundreds of people flocked here

-to pick bilberries...

-..mainly on the hills

-but also near the tracks, like this.

-These bushes are laden

-with large, juicy, ripe bilberries.

-They're tasty too.

-The interesting feature

-of an old railway...

-..is that it's also

-a path for nature.

-In July...

-..a flower which has benefited

-from man-made paths, is in bloom.

-This is rosebay willowherb.

-The flowers are pretty but it will

-be covered in white seeds by August.

-Railways and roads have played

-a major part in their history.

-It was a rare plant 150 years ago.

-It was carried into

-and through Wales on the trains.

-Seeds would get stuck in trains

-and they'd be carried for miles...

-..then they'd work themselves free,

-fall on the ground and grow again.

-The following year,

-they'd spread further down the line.

-They're now very common

-in all areas.

-In Gilfach, the mid Wales line

-crossed Afon Marteg.

-In other parts, it bridged

-the Dulais, Irfon and Wye rivers.

-It crossed rivers 20 times...

-..and travelled

-through mountainous regions.

-That was the great challenge faced

-by railway constructors in Wales...

-..to lay a railway on some of the

-most difficult terrain in Britain.

-There was no greater challenge...

-..than building a railway

-in Cwm Prysor near Trawsfynydd.

-This is one of the most expensive

-railways to be built in its time.

-The line ran for 25 miles,

-from Bala to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-More than 70 bridges had to be built.

-I love this old railway.

-Look at that old bridge.

-They built dozens of those.

-Imagine the expense involved in that.

-They had to chisel out the rock

-with explosives and by hand.

-They did this for miles,

-here and there.

-Since this line closed,

-over 50 years ago...

-..wildlife has flourished.

-Look at the wonderful mosses, ferns,

-flowers and hazel.

-The ponds are full of newts

-and frogs.

-Despite all the wildlife,

-I wish this line was still open.

-Imagine travelling on the train

-and taking in the scenery.

-To construct the railway

-between Bala and Ffestiniog...

-..they had to open cuttings

-through hard rocks.

-It all added to the cost

-of creating the railway.

-Today, with the railway line

-having closed down 50 years ago...

-..plants have had time

-to grow on the rocks.

-Wild thyme is common

-both here and throughout Wales.

-It flowers

-between June and September.

-The other pink flower here

-is betony.

-These are also

-quite common in Wales.

-By cutting through the rock, a

-relatively wet habitat was formed...

-..as water flowed down

-from the land above it.

-It's a perfect habitat

-for mosses.

-This is a fascinating section

-of the cutting.

-It's really rich.

-The plants here represent

-at least three different habitats.

-It's wet here

-from the water dripping down here.

-That makes it look like a waterfall.

-Consequently, plants you associate

-with waterfalls grow here.

-Mosses, lichen...

-..ferns and so on.

-There are flowers

-such as wild thyme here and there.

-Plants associated with roadsides

-or hay fields.

-In addition to that,

-there are plants seen on moorland.

-This is a butterwort.

-It eats insects because the land

-is barren and terribly acidic.

-Sundew is another

-insectivorous plant.

-They're all here

-in an unnatural habitat.

-The butterwort gets its nourishment

-from digesting insects.

-The long, thin leaves are sticky.

-When a small insect lands on them,

-as has happened here...

-..it sticks to the leaf

-and becomes trapped.

-The leaf slowly closes

-and the insect is eaten.

-Many of the old south Wales

-railway lines...

-..were built

-to serve the industrial areas.

-This is Cefn Coed viaduct

-near Merthyr Tydfil.

-This magnificent structure has been

-ruined and masked by the A470...

-..and new, far less attractive

-buildings.

-Nearby Pontsarn viaduct

-crosses Taff Fechan River.

-This line linked

-Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon.

-Today, many of the old

-railway lines...

-..have become cycling

-and walking routes.

-This is an old coal mine line in

-Parc Cwm Darran near Merthyr Tydfil.

-The trees that line the path

-are as old as the railway line.

-They've had time to mature.

-This is a series of small coppices

-which attract all sorts of birds.

-This green woodpecker has created

-a nesting hole in an old oak tree.

-This is Wales's largest woodpecker.

-This is a male.

-It has a red line on its cheek.

-In the spring,

-you hear birds call and sing.

-A large number of birds

-are concealed in the trees.

-It's worthwhile taking a close look

-at these trees.

-If you look among the highest

-branches of this tree...

-..there's a tawny owl.

-Where do owls go during the day?

-We usually see them and hear them

-at night.

-They spend their days

-in quiet locations.

-This one has tucked itself

-close to the tree trunk.

-It looks like

-an old piece of wood.

-It's vital it does this...

-..because if small birds

-were to find it, they'd persecute it.

-However, this one

-can perch up there quietly.

-This owl is used to humans

-walking along the path...

-..and stopping to stare at it.

-It's fully aware of its surroundings

-at all times.

-It knows exactly

-whom and what is nearby.

-It's safely tucked away

-high in the tree.

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-A woodland path in north Pembroke.

-There are similar paths

-throughout Wales.

-Spring is the best time of the year

-to walk along these paths.

-The leaves haven't all opened...

-..and plenty of sunlight

-reaches the roadsides.

-For that reason,

-early flowers bloom here.

-What a wonderful sight!

-It's the best display I've seen

-on any roadside in Wales.

-The variety of flowers

-is a kaleidoscope of colour.

-Wood sorrel and its white flowers,

-violets and celandines.

-The most prominent of all

-is the primrose.

-It's among

-the first flowers of spring.

-What happened, historically,

-to create such a habitat?

-Man built a wall as a boundary

-between the road and the fields.

-Over centuries,

-leaves fell from the trees.

-They decayed on the wall

-and created soil.

-That soil formed

-the perfect habitat for these plants.

-This habitat is similar

-to a copse floor.

-These are the sorts of plants

-found in open woodlands.

-That's their natural habitat.

-The English name "primrose"

-stems from the Latin - prima rosa...

-..the first rose.

-It's one of the first flowers

-to bloom.

-It can appear

-during the month of February.

-Wood sorrel usually grows in coppices

-or in ancient hedgerows.

-This gives us an idea of

-just how old some of our roads are.

-This wall has stood here

-for centuries.

-Roadsides are fascinating

-because they change every week...

-..during the spring

-and summer months.

-New flowers appear

-from season to season.

-The names of these flowers

-are interesting.

-This is the stitchwort.

-It was formerly thought

-to cure a stitch in the side.

-In early spring,

-the side of an old path...

-..is a good place

-to see hedgerow animals.

-This is near Garn Fawr

-in Pembrokeshire.

-It's an interesting path.

-It's quiet here and the walls

-are high and close together.

-It's a windy, chilly day...

-..but down here,

-it's sheltered and warm.

-I've seen two lizards.

-One back there and there's one

-on the rock in front of me.

-They're on the side facing the sun.

-They're lying on the stones...

-..which means they get heat

-from the sun and from the stone.

-Common lizards come in

-different shades of brown and green.

-This is a young one,

-whose tail is as long as its body.

-This one has shed its tail.

-Something must have tried

-to catch it and off came its tail.

-It's how it protects itself.

-It's grown a new, far smaller tail.

-These aren't the only

-hedgerow sunbathers.

-I'm lucky to be in the right place

-at the right time.

-This is another quiet spot

-facing the sun.

-There's a pair of adders here.

-The large, bronze one is a female.

-The smaller, silver adder is a male.

-One has curled itself

-around the other.

-They're reproducing very quietly

-at this very moment.

-Adders mate early in the year...

-..soon after they awake

-from hibernation.

-The silver male wraps itself

-around the bronze female.

-The mating ritual

-lasts for several minutes.

-Once it's over, they separate...

-..and they live independently

-throughout the summer.

-Roadsides are among the richest

-wildlife habitats in Wales.

-A new road can be as rich

-in wildlife as an ancient path.

-This is the A55 on Anglesey.

-It's one of Wales's newest roads.

-Wildlife has established itself

-around the new road.

-This kestrel is searching for mice.

-If there's one scene from nature

-familiar to us all...

-..this must be it.

-You can never grow tired

-of this sight.

-The kestrel can hover

-in the same spot...

-..keeping its head still

-so it can study the ground.

-The main road is now the kestrel's

-most important habitat.

-That's because mice and other

-creatures live on the roadside.

-Despite the traffic, it's a habitat

-which is left largely undisturbed.

-Along the road...

-..the strips of wild land may be

-narrow but they stretch for miles.

-A new bridge on the A40 across

-Grwyne Fawr river near Abergavenny.

-Whatever man builds, a creature

-will spot it and use it eventually.

-In this case, a gap in the wall

-has attracted dippers.

-A pair of dippers have chicks here.

-The parents filled the gap with moss

-and built a nest there.

-Nobody knows why dippers

-waggle up and down, like this.

-Many river birds bob in the same way.

-They dive into the water in search

-of insect larva on the river bed.

-This dipper has caught some larvae

-and feeds it to the chicks.

-The location of the nest,

-under the bridge, is important.

-It must be above water, so the

-chick's waste falls into the river.

-It must also be high enough

-to be safe should water levels rise.

-This pair would normally have built

-a nest on rocks above a river...

-..but the nest in the wall

-is just as good.

-A supply of food in the river

-is all that matters.

-The M4 near Newport.

-It's the busiest road in south Wales.

-Very little wildlife

-thrives in this busy area.

-We've travelled a long way

-since the days of our first roads.

-Wildlife has adapted

-to the new paths we've created.

-It's hard to imagine any creature

-living near our new motorways.

-It's a tough location

-for any wildlife...

-..for the time being, at least.

-I sometimes feel downhearted

-when I see new roads being built...

-..and more cars on the roads.

-Landscapes and habitats

-are being destroyed...

-..and I yearn to go back

-to the way it used to be.

-Then, something changes my outlook.

-You'd think I was walking along

-a quiet, country lane...

-..but until 12 years ago...

-..this was part of the A40

-between Llandeilo and Carmarthen.

-It's been closed for over a decade

-and look what's happened!

-Nettles extend onto the road.

-The trees were here

-when the road was open, of course...

-..but nowadays, ash and hazel trees

-cover the road completely.

-If this road was left to grow wild...

-..the branches would close in and

-the man-made road would disappear.

-In the modern age...

-..it's comforting to know

-that nature can win the battle.

-We've been building paths

-for thousands of years.

-We created them to facilitate

-our journeys across Wales.

-It's good to know

-that wildlife uses the same paths.

-Nature's showcase

-enhances our journeys.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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