Porthgain and Conwy Weatherman Walking


Porthgain and Conwy

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My walks this week have a very personal connection to my guides.

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They've overcome injury and disability

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to get outdoors and be active.

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And they're proof that going for a walk

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can change your life for the better.

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Later, I'll be in RSPB Conwy, a custom-made nature reserve,

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to find out how walking and bird-watching

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can be a great pastime if you're blind or have a form of sight loss.

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But first I'm in Porthgain, walking around the remains

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of its industrial past and taking in some dramatic views.

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My walk today has a maritime theme.

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It follows a spectacular stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coast and my guide

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has sailed all over the world.

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It's also the place where he had a life-changing experience.

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The pretty seaside village of Porthgain

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is a wonderful place to start a walk.

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I've come here to meet my guide,

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master mariner Captain Brian Thomas.

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Morning, Brian. Good to meet you.

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Morning. Pleased to meet you.

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Welcome to Porthgain.

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Thank you. And this place is very special to you.

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It is indeed. My great-grandfather, Josef Williams,

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was a harbour pilot down here many years ago.

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We're going to walk along the coast to Abereiddy and then back.

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We're also going to pass the place

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where something happened that changed your whole life.

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Absolutely. About five years ago I collapsed

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and I was in a coma for 28 days.

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You can tell me a bit more about that later,

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-but for now we're going to walk down to the harbour.

-OK.

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-Shall we go?

-Yes.

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Starting at Porthgain, we follow the Pembrokeshire coastal path south

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along the cliffs past Traeth Llyfn Bay

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until we reach the old quarry called the Blue Lagoon

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and the ruin village of Abereiddy.

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Then it's inland through farmland to Llanrhian,

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before finishing back at Porthgain -

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a walk of about four miles.

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Porthgain is a picture-postcard village now,

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but it grew up because of its slate and granite quarries.

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Well, Brian, lovely place. Nice and quiet.

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But 100 years ago or thereabouts, it was very industrial, wasn't it?

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It was, indeed. Originally, there was a huge slate quarry

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just over the top of the hill there.

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What is this building we can see in front of us? All the red bricks.

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Well, I've actually got a photo to show you.

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You can see up on the top here, you've got a chimney or an exhaust

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and the crushers crushing the stone running down these shoots

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into small trams on the track

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that was positioned on that quay wall there.

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Slate was mined in Porthgain from the 1850s.

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Although, by the end of the 19th century, the granite quarries

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and the brickworks had become much more important.

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So these huge walls were part of the granite works, but what's this here?

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-It looks like a tunnel.

-Yes.

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This is a tunnel about 200 yards long

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leading to the slate quarry over the other side

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and then they could actually transport the slate

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on trams to the quay.

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And if you look over here,

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you've got a granite chute where, like I said earlier,

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the crushers would be positioned up there and then,

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through a series of chutes, would end up in this storage bin

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and then ready to off-load onto a tram and then from the tram

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onto the ship using a steam crane.

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Sounds like an efficient process.

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Oh, yes, yes.

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In 1982, all of the old industrial buildings were bought

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by a local trust, together with the Pembrokeshire National Park,

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to preserve them for future generations.

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I've heard about the industry, but your family was involved

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-in the maritime side of things.

-Oh, very much so.

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As I said, my great-grandfather, Josef Williams,

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was one of the harbour pilots here.

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I've got a photo of him here.

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He looks a tough man.

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He probably went to sea when he was 15,

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and I've actually got his discharge book here.

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I have the last entry in the logbook.

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He sailed from Cardiff...

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..went across to Portland, Oregon...

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..and then sailed back to Falmouth.

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And that was back in 1886.

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1886, yes.

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I was drawn to the sea myself

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and I have my discharge book, my first one.

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There's lots of entries in here so you've been to many, many places.

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Yes. The QE2 is actually in this book.

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I joined the QE2 as a first officer

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and then I was promoted to bridge manager, so

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I really enjoyed that time.

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-So the sea is very much in your blood?

-Yes.

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Through the generations as well.

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Yes. For me now, it's been 27 years.

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From the harbour, we climb up the steps

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onto the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

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On either side of the entrance to Porthgain

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are two unusual white towers.

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Great view, Brian, but what's that white thing over there?

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Well, when a ship is approaching from the sea,

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that's a structure that they can take bearings of to get a position.

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So you have one on the north side and one on the south side.

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So taking bearings, of course, you've got the interaction

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of the bearing lines and you know where you are.

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The landscape around here is littered

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with remnants of Porthgain's industrial past.

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So here we have the slate quarry.

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-It's pretty big, isn't it?

-Yes, absolutely.

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When did it all begin?

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Around the 1850s and then continued until the 1890s.

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And then what happened?

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Well, the granite and the brickworks started to take over.

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-And you remember the tunnel we saw earlier?

-Yes.

-Well,

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it's down here and that's where the trams used to leave to the harbour.

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And that goes right through to the other side.

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-Absolutely.

-Fantastic.

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And just along the coast is more evidence

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of Porthgain's quarrying history.

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Well, this doesn't look natural. What happened here?

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Well, this is the granite quarry I was talking about.

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It was taken back to the crushers in Porthgain

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and used for building materials and surfaces for the road.

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It's completely changed the shape of the coast.

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Yes, absolutely. I think the expanse of granite that's been taken out of

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here, it's immense.

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It wouldn't happen today.

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No. Certainly not.

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From the quarry we continue along the coastal path

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under glorious Pembrokeshire skies.

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As a meteorologist, I love looking at the clouds.

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Today we've got cumulus clouds caused by the sun heating the land.

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But, as a sea captain, you must have experienced some horrendous weather.

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Yes, I have.

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Over ten years ago I was unfortunate enough

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to be 200 miles south of New Orleans

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when category five Hurricane Katrina struck.

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What did you do?

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Well, it was a case of warning the crew,

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keeping everybody up-to-date on the progress and telling everybody to

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secure everything in the cabins and the work stations.

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And then sooner or later I had to, through my training,

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get the bow of the ship into the wind and the waves.

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So counting the wave patterns

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I realised, I noticed,

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that every 11th wave, there was a bit of a lull.

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So when that lull came it was a case of hold on and hard-a-port,

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full engine, full bow thruster and then we came round and eventually

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made it before the next wave pattern.

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It was one of the worst in living memory, wasn't it?

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Yes, absolutely. It was terrible.

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That sounds like a pretty hair-raising experience!

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But the Pembrokeshire coast has its dangers as well.

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Well, this is a beautiful little bay. What's it called?

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It's called Traeth Llyfn. And, yes, it's very beautiful.

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However, quite a dangerous place.

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On the southern side you've got an undercurrent

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and there's been a couple of lives lost, unfortunately.

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I remember when I was a teenager, I nearly drowned myself when I was

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surfing, and the undercurrent was keeping and holding me back

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and holding me back and I was drifting out.

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Eventually I caught a wave and I came back in.

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So it's fine to build sandcastles, but keep out of the water?

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That's right.

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Our next port of call is one of the most spectacular spots

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on the whole Pembrokeshire coast.

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This is incredible. What is it?

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It's called The Blue Lagoon

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and it's the original slate quarry, dug by hand.

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All this was dug out by hand? That must have been really hard work.

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And then taken back to Porthgain for slate dressing.

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Now it's more of a tourist attraction

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and you can see that bit of rock was blasted away, for safety, I guess.

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-To let the water in, creating the Blue Lagoon.

-Yes.

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We can see some children over there. What are they doing?

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They're coasteering, and it's a very popular thing.

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They jump off the ruins here...

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..and a few years ago there was a...

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the World Diving Championship was held here.

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-Have you ever had a go?

-Yes, I have.

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What was it like?

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Very exciting.

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Give me a wet suit and I'll try again!

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Rather you than me!

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It's peaceful now but once

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Abereiddy was a bustling community driven by the slate industry.

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That all changed just over 80 years ago.

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These look interesting, Brian. Where are we?

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We're at Abereiddy and this is called The Street.

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These cottages, five of them, housed 50 people.

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Obviously providing labour for the quarry.

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And what happened to them?

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Well, unfortunately, in 1930, there was an epidemic of typhoid

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and a huge storm which forced them to leave.

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It's a tragic story, but by the 1930s,

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the quarrying industry along this part of the coast

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was already on the brink of closure

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and soon the land returned to farming.

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We leave Abereiddy behind and follow the path and land

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towards the village of Llanrhian

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and a place that was a turning point for Brian.

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Brian, we are now in Llanrhian

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and something really significant happened to you here, didn't it?

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It did, indeed. Five years ago, I collapsed around there

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through an immense pain coursing from my head throughout my body.

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And I collapsed backwards and hit my head severely on the road.

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And then what happened?

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I was rushed to Withybush General Hospital,

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initially, and then taken to the neurosurgery unit in Cardiff.

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And I remained in a coma for 28 days.

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And do you remember how you came out of the coma?

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Well, after a very bleak prognosis,

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my sister, bless her, brought with her some music and played a hymn,

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a favourite hymn of my grandfather's, How Great Thou Art,

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and a single tear apparently streamed down my right cheek.

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And from that moment on...

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..I started to recover.

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And thankfully you have now made a full recovery.

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Yes, I have.

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Brian's coma was caused by an undiagnosed blood clot, but his

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recovery was quite remarkable and he was back at sea

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within a couple of years of his injury.

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Now, Porthgain and this beautiful part of the world

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has become even more important to him.

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Well, Brian, here we are back in Porthgain where we started.

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I know you've sailed all over the world

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but this place really means a lot to you, doesn't it?

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Very much so.

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And since my accident,

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I've discovered a passion for writing poetry.

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And one of my poems is called Hiraeth, and if you'd like,

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I'd like to recite the last three lines.

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"Longing, waiting and eager to see what expected feelings bring.

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"Dreaming of home and holding on to those memories

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"That make your heart sing."

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Brian, that's beautiful.

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And thank you so much for taking me on this very special walk

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on the Pembrokeshire coast.

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I can see why you love this part of the country so much.

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It's beautiful.

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My pleasure.

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

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go to our website -

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It's got detailed route information

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and walking maps for you to print off.

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Or you could download it onto your tablet and take it with you.

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Every day in Wales, five people lose their sight,

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and this can have a massive impact on their lives and confidence,

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especially when it comes to going outdoors.

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Today I'm meeting Nicola Cockburn,

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who's been blind since birth,

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to find out more about what it's like to go for a walk.

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It's a pony's knee.

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Nicky was born with a rare genetic eye condition

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and experiences the world through her other senses

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of sound, smell and touch.

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She grew up in Llandudno,

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and has a passion for bird-watching

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and has been visiting RSPB Conwy for years,

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joining reserve manager Julian Hughes on his nature walks.

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And today they're showing me the sights and sounds of the reserve.

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-Hi, Nicky.

-Oh, hi, Derek, lovely to meet you.

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-And you. Julian, lovely to meet you.

-Hi, Derek. Welcome.

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So Nicky, can you tell me why you've brought me to RSPB Conwy?

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Bird-watching is a really big hobby of mine

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and the bird life here is just fantastic.

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You always see something different every time you come.

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Now, I haven't guided before, so could you help me with a few tips, please?

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Yes. So if you want to come on my right-hand side

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-and if I put my hand through yours, like that.

-OK.

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And, yeah, as long as you can tell me if there's any sort of

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lumps or bumps I need to know about, and not to break my ankle.

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Reckon you can do that?

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-I think so. Shall we get going?

-Let's go for a walk.

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Now, watch out. There is a puddle ahead of us

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so we'll try and avoid that.

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OK.

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We're in North Wales, right next to the A55

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and just a stone's throw from the town of Conwy.

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Leaving the lookouts,

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we pass through the reedbeds and head out into the reserve,

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enjoying a walk through marshland, woodland and estuary mud flats

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before being treated to views over Conwy Castle

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and ending back at the visitors' centre -

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a short stroll of just over one mile.

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Entry to the reserve is free to all RSPB members

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but there is a charge for non-members.

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So we're just coming down towards the lagoons

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and there's massive areas of reedbeds just in front of it

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-which we're going to walk through along a wooden boardwalk.

-OK.

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So Nicky, how am I doing?

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Well, it's early days but very, very good so far.

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At the end of the day I might give you a score out of ten.

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I'm hoping for at least an eight.

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You might get a nine if you do well.

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-I'd be quite happy with a nine.

-OK!

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We're right next to a noisy road but Nicky's fine-tuned hearing

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helps her identify which birds are close by,

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even though we can't see them.

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So there's quite a lot of traffic here today, Derek,

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but I don't know whether you can hear the birds.

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We've got a chiffchaff and sedge warblers.

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-I can hear them, yes.

-That's a chiffchaff.

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Yes, if you listen very carefully, in the reeds you've got

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the sounds of Africa, so reed warblers and sedge warblers

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have only arrived here around the end of April

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and they've come from West Africa.

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And this is a big spot for a lot of migratory birds?

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Yes. The nature reserve here, the wetland here,

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we manage the habitat so that we make it as attractive as possible

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to give a good home for all these kinds of wildlife.

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-We've got nesting oystercatchers on the island.

-Oh, brilliant.

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I'm sure we'll hear them being very noisy a little bit later.

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That's a fantastic sound.

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Well, we'll look forward to that.

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-Great.

-Yep.

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As well as the oystercatchers,

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they've recorded over 200 different species of birds here,

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proving just how successful this reserve has become.

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So we're coming away from the reed bed now

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and we're coming into the slightly more wooded area.

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We planted about 4,000 trees when the reserve was created 20 years ago

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and now they're maturing,

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they're full of insects as it starts to warm up in the springtime.

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We get the insects, we get the birds.

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And lots of bats in the evening, I would imagine.

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Yeah, the bats are amazing actually.

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Each summer we find new species of bats

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we haven't recorded here before.

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Oh, wow. I've been on a bat walk here before

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and they're really good fun.

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The reserve spans across 120 acres

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and was created from 30,000 tonnes of mud left over

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from the building of the Conwy Tunnel.

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Today it's filled with hides,

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lagoons and paths and attracts a wide variety of wildlife,

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making it a great place to reconnect with nature.

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GEESE HONK

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Most experts identify birds by their song, not by sight.

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So, as Nicky explains,

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it's often more about bird listening than bird-watching.

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So, Nicky, tell me,

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when did you first become interested in bird-watching?

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I think it was about when I was three.

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My dad came home one day with two tapes done by David Attenborough

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of birds. One was months of the year

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and the other one was towns,

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gardens and sort of various places you find birds.

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I just listened to them and listened to them

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and when I was going out with Dad,

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gradually I became exposed to the different birds.

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So I learnt a few at a time.

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Then, about ten years ago, I started coming to the RSPB here.

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A lot of sighted people say,

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why do you say "bird-watching"? Because you can't.

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But the thing about bird-watching is you don't have to be able to see.

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The ability to hear is more important for a lot of bird species.

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For instance, we've got the reed warblers and the sedge warblers

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in the reeds, and you can hear them.

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You don't have to be peering along, looking down to see where they are.

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It's something that everybody can enjoy

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and it's such an accessible hobby for everyone.

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And with most of the reserve accessible for all abilities,

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there's no reason not to come and enjoy this Welsh wildlife encounter.

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So we're just going to go through the gate here and,

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on the other side, we have our Carneddau mountain ponies

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and they graze the grassland

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and the reedbeds to make it good for wildlife.

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Will we see any today?

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Hopefully, yes.

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And this will be a good test for you, Derek,

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because where there's ponies, there's poo.

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So more things for you to navigate!

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Well, we don't want to step in any of that, do we?

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No.

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Going for a walk with Nicky is such a different experience.

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I'm much more aware of what's going on around me

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and making sure Nicky knows what's happening, too.

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There's some puddles coming up.

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Oh, squelch! Puddle alert.

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NICKY LAUGHS

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So Nicky, tell me what's involved when you go out for a walk.

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Well, I normally go out for walks with my guide dog, James.

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I have a lovely yellow Labrador who I didn't bring with me today

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because of all the nesting birds.

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But, yeah, I tend to go out with him when I'm out in Cardiff

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so he helps me get round.

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I do get lost, but people are very nice

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and I think they're used to me in my local area now, getting lost.

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As Nicky tells me about the challenges of getting around

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the city centre, it makes me realise

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just how much I take for granted every day.

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Bus drivers tend to be the worst

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because they tend to tell me the stop after my stop

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or I end up going right the way to the other end of the city.

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But I've just learnt now.

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Naughty bus drivers.

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Yes. They're better than they used to be.

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And if you have vision loss

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and would like help visiting the reserve,

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then, with a bit of warning, a volunteer can be on hand

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to help you make the most of your visit.

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And here's some evidence of the ponies.

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-Is there?

-Yeah, it shows they're around here somewhere.

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It would be nice to hear them whinnying or neighing.

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Yes, they do that if they get split up, actually.

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They're really noisy.

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So we're just coming round to the estuary, to the Afon Conwy.

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It rises about 20 miles to the south and runs down through,

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collecting all that water from Snowdonia

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and we can see the Snowdonia mountains in front of us now

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on the other side of the estuary.

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A little bit hazy today, but when it's clear...

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Early in the morning it's as though you could reach out and touch them,

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even though they're about ten miles away.

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It's just a lovely, lovely setting for a nature reserve.

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It's kind of why this place works.

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PONY NICKERS

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-I can hear ponies.

-Yes, there they are.

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These are the Carneddau mountain ponies.

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We've had these on the reserve about 18 months

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and they come down from the Carneddau.

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That's their natural home up in the mountains.

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And they're quite an old breed.

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Genetically, they're unique to north-west Wales

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and they've been around for thousands of years.

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PONIES NICKER AND SNORT

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They're getting a little bit frisky.

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-You can hear them.

-They're quite feisty.

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They are quite feisty. We've got six males down here at the moment and

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they do get a bit uppity with each other in the springtime.

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They're kind of determining who's the top pony.

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-Show-offs, aren't they?

-Are you showing off?

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-NICKY MIMICS BIRD CALL:

-# Oystercatcher! #

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The sound of the oystercatcher really lifts my spirits.

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I love it.

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So Derek, I wondered whether

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you'd like to experience a bit of my world.

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How do you fancy closing your eyes

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and just walking along here

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and whether you find it any different?

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-Are you up for that?

-I think so, yes.

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-Let's give it a go.

-OK, so if I come between you...

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Yes.

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-And you guide me.

-That's it.

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That way.

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OK? So, eyes closed.

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-Yes.

-Right.

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I can immediately notice something has changed

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since you closed your eyes.

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You're walking rather tentatively.

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Do you feel a bit anxious about what's under your feet?

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I'd say I was slightly nervous, yes.

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I mean, I'm glad Julian's here holding on to me

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because I know I won't fall over,

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but I'm just a little bit more cautious about where I'm putting

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my feet. But I'm also more aware of what's going on around me

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in terms of sounds, the birds tweeting,

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the sounds of the traffic I can hear.

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-Do you want to open your eyes, Derek? Take a seat.

-OK.

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Turn back and you'll sit between me and Derek.

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OK? There we are.

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Thank you.

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How did you find that, then, closing your eyes?

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I found it strange, closing my eyes and walking.

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It was quite scary.

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Yeah. I mean, I was born blind

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and I used to always think that I was quite unlucky, really,

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because I'll never see an oystercatcher,

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I'll never see a sunset.

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I've done a lot of things.

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I've scuba dived with sharks,

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I've worked out in Australia, I've skydived.

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So I've had a lot of experiences but they've all been sensory.

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When I was working for a company which helps blind people

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I came into contact with people who used to have quite high-powered jobs

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and they lost their sight and I realised that, actually,

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that must be very isolating.

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Sadly, statistics show that this feeling of isolation

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affects nearly half of all people with sight loss,

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leaving many feeling unable to leave their home

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and cut off from the outside world.

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I suppose what I'd like to say to people is that

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you don't have to let it define you.

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You don't have to say, "My life is over because I've lost my sight"

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because, in a way, it's just begun.

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It sounds weird to say that, but it's true.

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So the message is, Nicky, to anyone that's lost their sight

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is don't give up, stay positive, because there are so many groups

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that can help you to experience this, but in a different way.

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Yes. I mean, don't sit there and wait. Get up and do.

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SHE GIGGLES

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So, Derek, walking back round to the estuary,

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almost back to the visitors' centre,

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it's a lovely evening and we've got these wonderful views across

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the estuary to Conwy Castle.

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This beats my office any day!

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It's a very special place and I'm just glad we could show you round our lovely reserve.

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And if you want to find out more

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about joining a guided walking group,

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then visit the Weatherman Walking website

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for links to organisations that can help.

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