Swansea and Llansteffan Weatherman Walking

Fancy a walk with inspiring views, a great poet

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

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

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

as we retrace the steps of Dylan Thomas,

exploring the landscape, people and places that shaped him.

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

I've got two corkers for you today.

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

the farm that meant so much to Dylan,

and through some stunning countryside to Llansteffan.

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

and a stomp around Dylan's home town.

-Shw mae?

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

-Iawn, diolch.

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

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

And in true Dylan Thomas fashion,

we're going to begin at the beginning.

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

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

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

growing up here in the family home.

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

Dylan's childhood home has been lovingly restored.

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

Dylan's mother was a seamstress

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

All I need now is a guide.

I was born in a large Welsh industrial town.

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

'His first ever professional job was in a London

'performance of Under Milk Wood,

'directed by none other than Sir Anthony Hopkins.

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

-Hello, Adrian.

-Hello, Derek. How are you?

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

-Pleased to meet you too.

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

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

Looking forward to this.

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

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

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

It's then a short stroll

along the Wales Coast Path

before heading to the city centre

and pausing at Castle Square.

Then dropping back down to the Maritime Quarter to end

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

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

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.

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

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

and splendid curving shore, and there it is.

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

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

'well-known work.

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

Here we are, about to enter Cwmdonkin Park,

a place that Dylan wrote about over and over again.

I've always wanted to come here.

-It really is another world in here.

-Absolutely!

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

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

-Let your imagination go wild.

'Bursting with hiding places and full of adventures,

'Cwmdonkin Park was a magical place for the little boy

'and a great source of inspiration.'

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

that he actually writes about in one of his poems.

The poem is called Hunchback In The Park.

He talks about a fountain basin.

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

and this is that very fountain basin.

It must have been a small ship!

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

Anyway, let's keep going.

'The park really is worth exploring.

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

'There's even a Dylan Thomas shelter.

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

Sun's coming out.

Get it right sometimes!

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

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

MUSIC: Theme from Bonanza

This bank here is on the site of the Uplands Cinema

and it was here that Dylan said that he used to

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

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

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

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

'information film scripts for the wartime government.'

On this road was his first school,

the place that he calls his dame school.

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

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

He says in reminiscences of childhood, "Never was there

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

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

'A lovely image.

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

'but on this occasion,

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

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

'but it's packed with unexpected green spaces.

'Swansea is blessed with its parks.'

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

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

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

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

'Singleton Park originally belonged to the Vivian family,

'who were local industrialists.

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

'Next, a treat.

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

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

-Oh, wow! What a wonderful city beach!

-It certainly is.

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

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

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

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

-No.

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

Wales' new Coast Path.

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

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

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

-Yes.

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

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

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

Here we go.

Weatherman keeping fit!

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

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

-Spoilsport!

-Good for the calf muscles, though!

-I'm sure it is!

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

'and Mumbles railway line.

'It was the world's first passenger railway

'and often used by Dylan to go to his rehearsals

'at the Little Theatre in Mumbles.

'Turning inland, we pass the war memorial

'and begin walking towards the city centre

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

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

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

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

won the Swansea Mile for the Swansea Grammar School.

-Really?

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

There he is.

-Hardly recognise him.

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

-There it is. "DM Thomas."

-And he came first.

He did indeed.

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

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

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

'Now, you learn something new every day

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

'And it's all down to this fella,

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

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

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

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

'If you don't fancy facing the traffic,

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

-Shw mae?

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

-Iawn, diolch.

-Thank you.

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

Well, Derek. This is the Kardomah cafe

and this place captures the spirit of old Swansea

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

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

'During their teenage years,

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

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

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

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

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

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Ta-ra.

-Bye-bye.

-See you, then.

Got to make the most of these city walks.

'Dylan left school at 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that was just here.

But it's not there any more.

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

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

February 19th-21st, 1941.

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

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

'230 people were killed during the three-night blitz

'and more than 400 were injured.

'Swansea was reduced to rubble.

'Dylan wrote about the destruction

'of his town in the play Return Journey.'

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

-Blimey!

-It was completely devastated.

-Totally.

And there's that building, there.

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

-Almost, yes.

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

'But some buildings did survive

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

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

the attack and one of Dylan's favourite haunts.

-Now, this is Salubrious Passage.

-It's a bit dark in here!

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

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

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

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

Right, the final stop on our city walk.

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

-Your round!

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

'so this is almost exactly how it would have looked

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next, I'm heading further west,

to the spectacular Llansteffan Peninsula.

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

all the way down to the Three Rivers Estuary.

As well as stunning views,

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

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

famous poems, Fern Hill.

Bore da. Single to Fern Hill, please.

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

Nice to see you too.

'The nearest stop to Fern Hill Farm is a request

'stop at the turning off for Llangynog.'

Diolch.

'All I need now is my guide.'

Artist and broadcaster Osi Rhys Osmond

grew up in the South Wales valleys,

but came to live in Llansteffan 30 years ago

after falling in love with the place.

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

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

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

Shw mae, Osi?

-Nice to meet you.

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

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

-Looking forward to this.

So am I.

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

After coming off the bus, we take

a country lane to Fernhill Farm

before dropping down

through the fields and lanes

to reach the village of Llanybri.

From here we enjoy a stunning stroll

on the Taf estuary

before reaching Black Scar Point

and hugging the headland

all the way back to Llansteffan.

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

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

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

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

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

How it formed his imagination.

I believe that the things that surround us in our childhood

are so critical to making us the person we are.

Well, I know about Laugharne and Swansea

and how important they were to Dylan's life,

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

Well, it's critical.

His family farmed around here

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

and weekends meeting relatives and exploring the countryside here.

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

Here we are, Derek, Fern Hill.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's changed greatly since Dylan's time.

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

This was the barn where he wrote.

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

This is where he was carefree.

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

-That's right.

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

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

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

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

He really brings that over in his work.

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

but we've had special permission to come in.

And what a privilege to feel such a close connection

to Dylan as a child.

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

-It's great walking through here.

-It's wonderful. Nice and shaded.

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

Weathermen first, I always say.

We'll make our way down here.

This was a walk Dylan would have done.

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

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

'And what a fabulous place to hide.'

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

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

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

Just look at the view.

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

that Dylan would have done.

Down to see his relatives at the next farm.

'The path takes us through Pentrewyman Farm

'where he had another aunt and uncle.

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

'with all these relatives dotted around.

'Joining the lanes once again,

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

Shw mae? How are you?

Are you enjoying your walk?

-Yes, thank you.

-Where have you been so far?

From Llangain.

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

-Well, that's why we came today.

Cheerio.

'I love meeting fellow walkers,

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

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

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

he came as a young man.

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

-There were times, yeah,

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

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

this is where he came.

You are now entering what I call

the Llansteffan Peninsula Bermuda Triangle.

-Bermuda Triangle?

-Well, many, many visitors get lost.

They enter these lanes, never to be seen again.

So we could walk up here and disappear.

This could be the last thing we ever do.

-I hope not.

-So do I.

'These single lanes can be a nightmare to navigate

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

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

'Or just download mine off the website.

'But before we go too deep into the unknown,

'Osi has someone he wants me to meet.'

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

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

relatives, in this part of the world anyway.

-Hello, Heulwen.

-Hello, Derek.

THEY SPEAK WELSH

'Heulwen is Dylan's second cousin.

'He used to come here as a small boy

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

-Did you know Caitlin very well, his wife?

-Yes.

-She would come up after they were married.

-What was she like?

Very pleasant woman.

-Plenty of energy, you told me.

-Plenty of energy.

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

-Different to her husband.

-Yes.

-He'd be off walking.

-Yes.

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

Bye.

-Well, what a special lady, Osi.

-That was an incredible experience.

There's not many people like that left,

and I think she's absolutely wonderful.

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

-Indeed.

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

-and that's we can pick blackberries.

-That would be lovely.

Little feast on the way just to keep us going.

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

-Good crop this year too.

-Excellent.

-Because of the nice weather.

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

It's all my doing.

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

'September sunshine, it feels like life is good.

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

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

Derek, we're going to move on the path

and we're going to move with great discretion.

-They're scared of you, Osi.

-Yeah.

Hey!

'These playful young heifers are extremely curious

'and think it's feeding time.

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

It's like being on a ranch.

'Leaving us to make our escape.

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

'working farms, so do take extra care.

'After our brief encounter the landscape opens up again

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

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

Yes, it's wonderful.

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

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

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

Just one big farm.

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

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

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

I could do with some of this in my garden.

You can put some in your rucksack,

and when you get home fill your window boxes.

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

'As the day wears on, the skies cloud over

'and we start to get a bit chilly.'

'We arrive at Llanybri.

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

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

To prop up the bar and share his stories.

'But sadly no time for a drink today,

'we still have over five miles to go

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

'and the River Taf,

'catching a glimpse of Laugharne in the distance.'

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

'Below us are the salt marshes'

on the banks of the River Taf.

These marshes are formed from sea water flowing upriver.

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

and beef are reared for their unique flavour.

The mighty River Taf was once a busy waterway,

carrying goods up to Carmarthen.

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

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

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

-It's amazing.

Open fields, woodlands, country lanes.

'We're now on the Old Pilgrims Way.

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

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

'over to Laugharne.'

Is that the boathouse I can see over there?

That's the boathouse.

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

and where he lived for the longest period.

So just over there is where Dylan

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

That's right. Black Scar Point.

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

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

Very often carried Dylan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-It's been a long walk, Derek.

-But worth every step, Osi.

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

Oh, wow. That is stunning.

We've arrived at Wharley Point,

with amazing estuary views in all directions.

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

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

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

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

-This is the Three Rivers Estuary?

-Yes, this is it.

It's absolutely stunning.

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

and Gwendraeth meet

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

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

You can just about see it in the mist.

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

-It is.

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

and launch myself into eternity.

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

OK.

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

'aren't half keeping me going.

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

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

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

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

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