Swansea and Llansteffan Weatherman Walking


Swansea and Llansteffan

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Fancy a walk with inspiring views, a great poet

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and a couple of pints along the way? I do, so let's get walking!

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That's it for today. I'm off!

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Today's walks take us both through town and country,

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as we retrace the steps of Dylan Thomas,

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exploring the landscape, people and places that shaped him.

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And while we know he liked a good drink, he also loved a good walk.

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I've got two corkers for you today.

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Later, I'll be in the wilds of West Wales, walking from Fern Hill,

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the farm that meant so much to Dylan,

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and through some stunning countryside to Llansteffan.

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But first, I'm off to Swansea for some fabulous seafront views

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and a stomp around Dylan's home town.

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-Shw mae?

-Helo. Shw mae? Shwd y'ch chi?

-Iawn, diolch.

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You don't get very far in Swansea without coming across some

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tribute or other to one of the city's favourite sons.

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And in true Dylan Thomas fashion,

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we're going to begin at the beginning.

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In fact, at Five Cwmdonkin Drive, where Dylan was born.

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And standing here, where he would have stood as a boy, looking at

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the same view, you can imagine what it must have been like for him,

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growing up here in the family home.

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So this really is the perfect place to start my Dylan Thomas tour.

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Dylan's childhood home has been lovingly restored.

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It was newly built in 1914 when the family moved in.

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Dylan's mother was a seamstress

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and his father an English teacher at the local grammar school.

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All I need now is a guide.

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I was born in a large Welsh industrial town.

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'And who better than actor Adrian Metcalfe? He's a huge Dylan fan.

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'His first ever professional job was in a London

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'performance of Under Milk Wood,

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'directed by none other than Sir Anthony Hopkins.

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'He lives locally, so I'm in safe hands.'

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-Hello, Adrian.

-Hello, Derek. How are you?

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-I'm all right, nice to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you too.

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So, you've been to the place where it all began. If you'd like to follow me,

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we'll keep going uphill and I'll show you some more of Dylan's town.

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Looking forward to this.

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So, we're in Swansea, Wales' second largest city.

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We start at Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands area, then we wind

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our way down through three lovely parks until we reach Swansea Bay.

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It's then a short stroll

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along the Wales Coast Path

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before heading to the city centre

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and pausing at Castle Square.

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Then dropping back down to the Maritime Quarter to end

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the day with a drink in one of Dylan's infamous watering holes.

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So, Derek, here we are, going up Cwmdonkin Drive.

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I'd just like to take you over here, so we can see some of the views that Dylan was treated to as a child.

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That is an amazing view. You can actually see the curve of the bay.

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Absolutely. Dylan talks about Swansea being at the side of a long

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and splendid curving shore, and there it is.

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'Dylan lived on this street with his mum, dad and sister until he was 23.

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'And it was here as a young man that he wrote some of his most

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'well-known work.

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'Our first stop, one of Dylan's favourite haunts.'

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Here we are, about to enter Cwmdonkin Park,

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a place that Dylan wrote about over and over again.

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I've always wanted to come here.

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-It really is another world in here.

-Absolutely!

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Dylan talks about it being a world within the world of his sea town.

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-It's a place that stories can be told.

-Let your imagination go wild.

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'Bursting with hiding places and full of adventures,

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'Cwmdonkin Park was a magical place for the little boy

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'and a great source of inspiration.'

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I'm going to show you an original feature from Dylan's day

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that he actually writes about in one of his poems.

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The poem is called Hunchback In The Park.

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He talks about a fountain basin.

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He says, "The fountain basin where I sailed my ship,"

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and this is that very fountain basin.

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It must have been a small ship!

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I think when you're that age it probably looked enormous.

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Anyway, let's keep going.

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'The park really is worth exploring.

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'If you look hard enough, there are Dylan connections everywhere.

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'There's even a Dylan Thomas shelter.

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'But we won't be needing it today.'

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Sun's coming out.

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Get it right sometimes!

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'Next, we drop down through Uplands, passing the place where Dylan

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'would have spent Saturday mornings with the cowboys and Indians.'

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MUSIC: Theme from Bonanza

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This bank here is on the site of the Uplands Cinema

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and it was here that Dylan said that he used to

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whoop for the scalping Indians and bang for the rustlers' guns.

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You can't beat a good old-fashioned Western, can you?

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'Dylan's love of film lasted his whole life.

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'During the Second World War, he even wrote a number of public

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'information film scripts for the wartime government.'

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On this road was his first school,

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the place that he calls his dame school.

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'Dame schools were primary schools, run by women from their own homes.'

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Looks like an ordinary house. His granny could have lived here!

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He says in reminiscences of childhood, "Never was there

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"such a dame school as ours, so firm and kind and smelling of galoshes."

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'I can just imagine the children's wellies lined up by the front door.

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'A lovely image.

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'I wouldn't usually give you a reading list for my walks,

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'but on this occasion,

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'a book of Dylan's poems is great to have in your back pocket.

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'Now, Adrian is supposed to be taking me on a city tour,

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'but it's packed with unexpected green spaces.

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'Swansea is blessed with its parks.'

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What a delightful park. And I didn't know that Swansea was so green.

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You're not the only one. It's a very green city.

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We've seen Cwmdonkin Park, this is Brynmill Park,

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and we're now about to enter the largest one, which is Singleton Park.

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'Singleton Park originally belonged to the Vivian family,

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'who were local industrialists.

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'It was bought for the public by the council in 1919.

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'Next, a treat.

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'We have to cross the dual carriageway to get there,

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'but once you reach the waterfront, you're in another world.'

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-Oh, wow! What a wonderful city beach!

-It certainly is.

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And on a day like today, with the sun shining, you can see all

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the way through the sweep of the bay, all the way down to the Mumbles.

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On a really good day, you can even see Porthcawl.

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-So, where to next? Are we walking along the beach.

-No.

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Actually, we'll follow the path. It's just up here.

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Wales' new Coast Path.

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'Being up on the Coast Path makes the best of those views.

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'And an added bonus, no sand in your socks!'

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-This really is a playground for the people of Swansea.

-Yes.

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They've done a wonderful job of opening it up over the last

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few years. They've even made a fitness trail.

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Oh, yes. I fancy having a go at this.

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Here we go.

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Weatherman keeping fit!

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As if I don't get enough exercise on these walks!

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-We'll never finish our route walking like that, Derek.

-Spoilsport!

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-Good for the calf muscles, though!

-I'm sure it is!

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'We're now walking along the route of the old Swansea

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'and Mumbles railway line.

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'It was the world's first passenger railway

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'and often used by Dylan to go to his rehearsals

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'at the Little Theatre in Mumbles.

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'Turning inland, we pass the war memorial

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'and begin walking towards the city centre

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'past a site that had rather unusual significance for Dylan.'

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This is St Helen's, the scene of one of Dylan's greatest achievements

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because, surprisingly enough, it's not anything to do with writing.

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It was here, at the age of 14, that he

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won the Swansea Mile for the Swansea Grammar School.

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-Really?

-Absolutely. And we've got the cuttings here, just to prove it.

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There he is.

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-Hardly recognise him.

-And what's more, we've got the final proof.

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-There it is. "DM Thomas."

-And he came first.

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He did indeed.

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Well, I never knew that. Dylan Thomas was a bit of a young athlete.

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And he was very proud of this. During his legendary drinking sessions, later on in his life,

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he used to drag this out and show them to people and say, "Look at me! I'm an athlete!"

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'Now, you learn something new every day

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'and Adrian shows me where the name Swansea Jack comes from.

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'And it's all down to this fella,

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'a black Labrador called Jack who saved 27 people from drowning.

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'And there's me thinking it had something to do with football.

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'It's time to pound the pavements again and we head

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'back along St Helen's Road and make our way through rush hour.

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'If you don't fancy facing the traffic,

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'then you can always jump on a bus back to the centre.'

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-Shw mae?

-Helo, shw mae? Shwd y'ch chi?

-Iawn, diolch.

-Thank you.

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'Right, after three miles, I need a drink.'

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Well, Derek. This is the Kardomah cafe

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and this place captures the spirit of old Swansea

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and it was in a Kardomah like this one that Dylan and his friends would

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meet and talk about art and poetry and music and drink their coffee.

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'During their teenage years,

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'they would come here to put the world to rights.

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'In later life, most of them became involved in the arts.

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'Known as the Kardomah Boys, they would record programmes for the BBC.

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'The original cafe no longer exists, but this one,

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'built in the '50s, oozes nostalgia. And the coffee's not bad either!'

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-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Ta-ra.

-Bye-bye.

-See you, then.

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Got to make the most of these city walks.

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'Dylan left school at 16

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'and started work as a cub reporter for the South Wales Daily Post

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'and he'd soon taken a liking to a different kind of refreshment.'

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Now, it's at about this time, 17 years old,

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that Dylan loses the cosy cafe culture and discovers the pub.

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And there was one pub in which we know he spent a great

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deal of time in the centre of town, called The Three Lamps.

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And that was just here.

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But it's not there any more.

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'Because a decade later, in 1941, Swansea would become

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'a victim of devastating World War II bombing raids.'

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February 19th-21st, 1941.

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After three nights of heavy, high incendiary bombing, almost 41

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acres of Swansea, from here, over there, were completely flattened.

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'230 people were killed during the three-night blitz

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'and more than 400 were injured.

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'Swansea was reduced to rubble.

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'Dylan wrote about the destruction

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'of his town in the play Return Journey.'

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-Now, we've got some photographs here of the area.

-Blimey!

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-It was completely devastated.

-Totally.

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And there's that building, there.

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-And they had to rebuild the city centre from scratch.

-Almost, yes.

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'As a result, much of Swansea city centre was built after the war.

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'But some buildings did survive

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'and serve as a reminder of the city's rich history.'

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We're walking through a bit of Swansea that actually survived

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the attack and one of Dylan's favourite haunts.

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-Now, this is Salubrious Passage.

-It's a bit dark in here!

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And a place which has Dylan's name attached to it quite a bit.

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'This was a place where sailors and drinkers came to meet women,

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'haggle over deals and plot trouble. And Dylan loved it here.

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'And with the light fading, there's only one thing left to do.'

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Right, the final stop on our city walk.

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-And the perfect place to do what Dylan would have done, and get the pints in.

-Your round!

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'The Queen's Hotel is one of the oldest pubs in Swansea,

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'so this is almost exactly how it would have looked

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'when Dylan came here to enjoy a drink or two.'

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Well, what a walk it's been. I've really learned a lot about Dylan's life here

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and how his ugly, lovely town left its stamp on him.

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So here's to his Swansea and my next Dylan Thomas walk. Cheers!

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And if you fancy trying this or another one of our walks,

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go to our website at bbc.co.uk/weathermanwalking.

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It's got everything you need, from route information for each walk,

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maps to print off, and some photos we took along the way.

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Next, I'm heading further west,

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to the spectacular Llansteffan Peninsula.

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We'll be walking through the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire,

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all the way down to the Three Rivers Estuary.

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As well as stunning views,

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we'll be finding out about Dylan Thomas' rural roots

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and how this lush countryside helped to inspire one of his most

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famous poems, Fern Hill.

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Bore da. Single to Fern Hill, please.

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'My journey starts with a short bus ride from Llansteffan.'

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Nice to see you too.

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'The nearest stop to Fern Hill Farm is a request

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'stop at the turning off for Llangynog.'

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Diolch.

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'All I need now is my guide.'

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Artist and broadcaster Osi Rhys Osmond

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grew up in the South Wales valleys,

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but came to live in Llansteffan 30 years ago

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after falling in love with the place.

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He shares Dylan's passion for the arts and the great outdoors,

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and today he wants to show me why this little corner of Wales

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played such an instrumental part in Dylan's life and work.

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Shw mae, Osi?

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-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. Welcome to Dylan Thomas country.

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-I've got a very interesting walk to take you on.

-Looking forward to this.

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So am I.

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Today's walk is set on the beautiful Llansteffan Peninsula.

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After coming off the bus, we take

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a country lane to Fernhill Farm

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before dropping down

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through the fields and lanes

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to reach the village of Llanybri.

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From here we enjoy a stunning stroll

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on the Taf estuary

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before reaching Black Scar Point

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and hugging the headland

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all the way back to Llansteffan.

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That's nearly 12 miles, though you can do it in sections if you want.

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'Dylan's strong links with this area aren't very well-known

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'and Osi wants to put that right, so I'm all ears.'

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I'm going to take you on this walk because I think it's so important

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that people understand how much this area meant to Dylan Thomas.

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How it formed his imagination.

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I believe that the things that surround us in our childhood

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are so critical to making us the person we are.

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Well, I know about Laugharne and Swansea

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and how important they were to Dylan's life,

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but I didn't realise this part of Carmarthenshire was so influential.

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Well, it's critical.

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His family farmed around here

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and almost all the way down to the sea, and he spent his summers

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and weekends meeting relatives and exploring the countryside here.

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'And there was one special place that Dylan loved exploring.'

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Here we are, Derek, Fern Hill.

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'This is the dairy farm where Dylan's beloved aunt Annie lived.

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'He'd come to stay here as a little boy,

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'and they say he was a bit of a rascal and spoilt rotten.'

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His time here left a huge impression on the young Dylan and his love for

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the place resonates through every line of his poem Fern Hill.

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"Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs

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"About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green..."

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It's changed greatly since Dylan's time.

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But somehow I still get the feeling and the sense of that wonderful poem.

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This was the barn where he wrote.

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This is the yard where he was happy as the day was long.

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This is where he was carefree.

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-"In the sun that is young once only."

-That's right.

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For a small boy from Swansea, confined in that suburbia,

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to come here to this rural paradise, great, unfettered freedom.

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Well, from the poem and actually being here, you can get a sense of

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what it must have been like for Dylan when he was here as a boy.

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He really brings that over in his work.

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'Nobody's living here at the moment and there's no public access'

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but we've had special permission to come in.

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And what a privilege to feel such a close connection

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to Dylan as a child.

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'Soon we're heading in the direction of another family farm.'

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-It's great walking through here.

-It's wonderful. Nice and shaded.

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Got a little bit of a wood to go through first. After you.

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Weathermen first, I always say.

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We'll make our way down here.

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This was a walk Dylan would have done.

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'Osi reckons the young Dylan may well have escaped down here

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'when there were chores to be done on the farm.

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'And what a fabulous place to hide.'

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Well, this is a bit of a difference, Osi.

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It is, Derek, we come out of the darkness and into the light.

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It's like somebody's turned a light on.

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Just look at the view.

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And we're going down into that valley in the same way

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that Dylan would have done.

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Down to see his relatives at the next farm.

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'The path takes us through Pentrewyman Farm

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'where he had another aunt and uncle.

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'Dylan would have had no shortage of places to stop off

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'with all these relatives dotted around.

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'Joining the lanes once again,

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'we head inland and it seems we're not the only ones out for a stroll.'

0:19:410:19:45

Shw mae? How are you?

0:19:470:19:49

Are you enjoying your walk?

0:19:500:19:52

-Yes, thank you.

-Where have you been so far?

0:19:520:19:55

From Llangain.

0:19:550:19:57

-Well, you've got the weather for it.

-Well, that's why we came today.

0:19:570:20:00

Cheerio.

0:20:020:20:03

'I love meeting fellow walkers,

0:20:030:20:06

'and I quite fancy a set of those sticks too.'

0:20:060:20:09

We're coming up to Blaencwm now and another very important house.

0:20:090:20:13

His parents came here to live, he came here as a teenager,

0:20:130:20:15

he came as a young man.

0:20:150:20:17

-He was a bit of a nomad, wasn't he?

-There were times, yeah,

0:20:190:20:22

there were times when he didn't have a roof over his head

0:20:220:20:24

and he knew that there'd be some kind of welcome here,

0:20:240:20:27

this is where he came.

0:20:270:20:28

You are now entering what I call

0:20:350:20:37

the Llansteffan Peninsula Bermuda Triangle.

0:20:370:20:41

-Bermuda Triangle?

-Well, many, many visitors get lost.

0:20:410:20:45

They enter these lanes, never to be seen again.

0:20:460:20:49

So we could walk up here and disappear.

0:20:490:20:51

This could be the last thing we ever do.

0:20:510:20:52

-I hope not.

-So do I.

0:20:540:20:56

'These single lanes can be a nightmare to navigate

0:20:560:20:58

'if you don't know where you're going and phone signal is poor,

0:20:580:21:02

'so double check your route and take a good map with you.

0:21:020:21:05

'Or just download mine off the website.

0:21:050:21:07

'But before we go too deep into the unknown,

0:21:080:21:10

'Osi has someone he wants me to meet.'

0:21:100:21:12

We're going to meet someone who's very special.

0:21:120:21:15

Mrs Heulwen Morris, who is one of Dylan Thomas' last surviving

0:21:160:21:19

relatives, in this part of the world anyway.

0:21:190:21:22

-Hello, Heulwen.

-Hello, Derek.

0:21:260:21:29

THEY SPEAK WELSH

0:21:290:21:33

'Heulwen is Dylan's second cousin.

0:21:330:21:35

'He used to come here as a small boy

0:21:350:21:37

'and also later on in life with his wife Caitlin.'

0:21:370:21:41

-Did you know Caitlin very well, his wife?

-Yes.

0:21:410:21:45

-She would come up after they were married.

-What was she like?

0:21:450:21:49

Very pleasant woman.

0:21:490:21:51

-Plenty of energy, you told me.

-Plenty of energy.

0:21:530:21:57

If there was work to be done, she would come and do it with them.

0:21:570:22:01

-Different to her husband.

-Yes.

-He'd be off walking.

-Yes.

0:22:010:22:06

It was lovely to meet you and thank you very much for your time.

0:22:060:22:09

Bye.

0:22:090:22:11

-Well, what a special lady, Osi.

-That was an incredible experience.

0:22:130:22:18

There's not many people like that left,

0:22:180:22:20

and I think she's absolutely wonderful.

0:22:200:22:22

-She is, it was worth stopping to say hello.

-Indeed.

0:22:220:22:25

Well, there's one good think about walking at this time of year

0:22:320:22:35

-and that's we can pick blackberries.

-That would be lovely.

0:22:350:22:38

Little feast on the way just to keep us going.

0:22:380:22:40

There's a juicy one there, I'll have that one.

0:22:400:22:44

-Good crop this year too.

-Excellent.

-Because of the nice weather.

0:22:440:22:47

That's why we rely on you, Derek, bring all this lovely weather.

0:22:470:22:50

It's all my doing.

0:22:500:22:51

'And with a belly full of berries and bathed in this lovely

0:22:520:22:56

'September sunshine, it feels like life is good.

0:22:560:22:59

'But little do we know what's just up ahead.'

0:23:020:23:04

So what are we going to do now? We're trapped!

0:23:120:23:14

Derek, we're going to move on the path

0:23:140:23:16

and we're going to move with great discretion.

0:23:160:23:19

-They're scared of you, Osi.

-Yeah.

0:23:190:23:21

Hey!

0:23:230:23:25

'These playful young heifers are extremely curious

0:23:250:23:28

'and think it's feeding time.

0:23:280:23:30

'But with no food on offer, they soon get bored and take off.'

0:23:300:23:34

It's like being on a ranch.

0:23:360:23:38

'Leaving us to make our escape.

0:23:400:23:41

'But it serves as a reminder that public footpaths do cut through

0:23:410:23:45

'working farms, so do take extra care.

0:23:450:23:48

'After our brief encounter the landscape opens up again

0:23:500:23:53

'as we make our way down through more fields towards Llanybri.'

0:23:530:23:58

Well, this is good farming land - lush and green.

0:23:580:24:02

Yes, it's wonderful.

0:24:020:24:03

And of course, before Dylan Thomas' time it produced a lot of milk,

0:24:030:24:07

and it still does. But the pattern of farming has changed.

0:24:070:24:10

Now there's just one big producer instead of 20 or 30 small farms.

0:24:100:24:14

Just one big farm.

0:24:140:24:16

But the thing that makes it all possible is this beautiful red earth.

0:24:160:24:20

The red sandstone in this rich soil has a high mineral content,

0:24:200:24:24

so it acts as a natural fertiliser, keeping the grass nice and green.

0:24:240:24:28

I could do with some of this in my garden.

0:24:280:24:30

You can put some in your rucksack,

0:24:300:24:32

and when you get home fill your window boxes.

0:24:320:24:34

You'll have the most beautiful window boxes in Barry.

0:24:340:24:36

'As the day wears on, the skies cloud over

0:24:440:24:47

'and we start to get a bit chilly.'

0:24:470:24:48

'We arrive at Llanybri.

0:24:530:24:55

'Dylan didn't come here for a cuppa, but for a pint at the local pub.'

0:24:550:25:00

Here we are - The Farmers Arms. Dylan came here for a drink often.

0:25:000:25:05

To prop up the bar and share his stories.

0:25:050:25:08

'But sadly no time for a drink today,

0:25:080:25:10

'we still have over five miles to go

0:25:100:25:13

'so we plod on and before long we spot the estuary

0:25:130:25:16

'and the River Taf,

0:25:160:25:17

'catching a glimpse of Laugharne in the distance.'

0:25:170:25:20

Now we're going to see a completely different set of landscape.

0:25:220:25:26

'Below us are the salt marshes'

0:25:290:25:30

on the banks of the River Taf.

0:25:300:25:32

These marshes are formed from sea water flowing upriver.

0:25:320:25:36

And it's in areas like this that salt marsh lamb

0:25:360:25:38

and beef are reared for their unique flavour.

0:25:380:25:41

The mighty River Taf was once a busy waterway,

0:25:450:25:47

carrying goods up to Carmarthen.

0:25:470:25:50

Today, it's heavily silted, so only small boats can travel along it

0:25:500:25:54

'and this is the point where the river meets the sea.'

0:25:540:25:57

-There's so many different landscapes on this walk.

-It's amazing.

0:26:020:26:05

Open fields, woodlands, country lanes.

0:26:050:26:08

'We're now on the Old Pilgrims Way.

0:26:100:26:12

'people have been walking this route to St David's since the Middle Ages.

0:26:120:26:16

'But we're heading to Black Scar Point for fantastic views

0:26:160:26:19

'over to Laugharne.'

0:26:190:26:21

Is that the boathouse I can see over there?

0:26:220:26:24

That's the boathouse.

0:26:240:26:26

And of all the places he lived, that's the place where he settled

0:26:260:26:28

and where he lived for the longest period.

0:26:280:26:30

So just over there is where Dylan

0:26:300:26:32

and the locals would have caught the ferry across to Laugharne?

0:26:320:26:35

That's right. Black Scar Point.

0:26:350:26:37

The thing was, this ferry couldn't always come close to the shore

0:26:370:26:40

cos of the mud and the tide, so the ferrymen would have to carry them.

0:26:400:26:44

Very often carried Dylan.

0:26:440:26:46

So think of the great poet being carried by the big, strong ferryman.

0:26:460:26:51

I can see why Dylan would have loved this place so much.

0:26:510:26:54

It's got everything, all the things that inspired him.

0:26:540:26:56

But what he's looking at is where he came from.

0:26:560:26:59

That landscape that we've walked through, that primal landscape

0:26:590:27:03

that inspired his poetry, where he spent those happy childhood days.

0:27:030:27:07

Come on, we're nearly finished. We've got a bit further to go.

0:27:070:27:10

-It's been a long walk, Derek.

-But worth every step, Osi.

0:27:150:27:18

It has been wonderful, but Derek, the best is yet to come.

0:27:180:27:22

Oh, wow. That is stunning.

0:27:250:27:28

We've arrived at Wharley Point,

0:27:330:27:34

with amazing estuary views in all directions.

0:27:340:27:38

This is where I come most evenings to sit and watch the sun go down.

0:27:400:27:44

To paint, look at the birds, look at the estuary.

0:27:440:27:47

This to me is the wonderful point where we can actually say,

0:27:470:27:50

"God, isn't it all so beautiful?"

0:27:500:27:52

-This is the Three Rivers Estuary?

-Yes, this is it.

0:27:520:27:55

It's absolutely stunning.

0:27:550:27:57

The magnificent Three Rivers Estuary is where the rivers Taf, Tywi

0:27:580:28:02

and Gwendraeth meet

0:28:020:28:04

as they flow into the Bristol Channel and out into the Celtic Sea.

0:28:040:28:08

And is that Worm's Head I can see over there?

0:28:080:28:10

You can just about see it in the mist.

0:28:100:28:12

-I can see why this is such a special place for you.

-It is.

0:28:120:28:15

This is where I think I would like to jump off from here

0:28:150:28:18

and launch myself into eternity.

0:28:180:28:20

The light's fading, we've got a little way to go, so let's press on.

0:28:200:28:23

OK.

0:28:230:28:24

'I am tired, but those gorgeous views over Pendine Sands

0:28:270:28:31

'aren't half keeping me going.

0:28:310:28:33

'No wonder this place gets the creative juices flowing.'

0:28:330:28:36

Well, this walk has been a real eye-opener.

0:28:430:28:46

In a corner of Wales often forgotten by Dylan fans, we've walked through

0:28:460:28:50

lush farmland, hidden villages and finished with an amazing estuary.

0:28:500:28:55

It doesn't get much better than that. Ta-ra.

0:28:550:28:58

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