Aberdyfi and Merthyr Tydfil Weatherman Walking

Planning a trip to the beach soon? Then bring your hiking boots too.

I'm going to show you why walking away from this is worth every step.

And that's it for today. I'm off.

Whether you want to get away from it all

or fancy staying close to the action,

my two walks today take you off the beaten track, surround you

with stunning views, and both have a special something along the way.

Later in the programme I'll be exploring our rich industrial past,

with a beautiful Valleys walk around the old ironworks of Merthyr Tydfil.

And then up into the hills beyond to see the remains of a Norman castle.

But first a chance to breathe in some sea air

and feel the sand between your toes, as we head to Aberdyfi,

a beautiful fishing village right in the middle of Cardigan Bay.

I've always wanted to come to Aberdyfi

but today I'm not here for the beach,

I'm heading up into the nearby hills of southern Snowdonia

for a walk of discovery along the Dyfi Estuary and beyond.

Aberdyfi means mouth of the River Dyfi

and is a small seaside village neatly nestled on the north side

of the Dyfi Estuary, overlooking Cardigan Bay.

Starting at the centre of this picturesque fishing village,

we take a coastal path towards Machynlleth

before heading up into the hills to enjoy some magnificent

coastal views of the Dyfi Estuary

and the mountains of southern Snowdonia.

It's then a leisurely downhill stroll back on the beach

to our starting point.

Showing me around is local historian and farmer David Roberts.

A born and bred Aberdyfi boy,

he still lives and works at the same farm where he was raised.

His dad and sons are regular helpers

and what he doesn't know about the village and the surrounding hills,

well, it's just not worth knowing. So I'm in good hands.

-Morning, David.

-Croeso.

-Diolch yn fawr.

-Nice to see you, Derek. Welcome to Aberdyfi.

-Thank you.

-It's a fine morning.

-It is. Cracking beach, too.

It is a lovely beach, yeah. And a fine sea,

and we've got some lovely countryside I'll show you later.

-Let's get going.

-Let's go.

'Well, on a day like this and with these views,

'it's no wonder most visitors stay put on the beach.

'I'm almost tempted for a quick dip myself.'

Before we get up into the hills, I'm going

to just show you this little bell here, which is

part of the story of the Bells of Aberdyfi,

which are to do with the history and the legends of this village.

This is our Time and Tide Bell.

That chimes up the top of the tide every day.

The Bells of Aberdyfi remind us of an old story

of the lost land of Cantre'r Gwaelod,

which was lost in the 6th century.

Gwyddno Garanhir, the king who ruled over it,

had a man to guard the dykes and the embankments to keep the sea out.

He neglected his duties and a great storm rolled in

and this wonderful, rich, lush land was inundated by the sea

and the land was lost and all that could be heard afterwards

was the peal of the bells under the water.

Hence the Bells of Aberdyfi.

BELLS CHIME

'Aberdyfi has a rich and varied history

'based around its bustling harbour

'and thriving fishing industry, which is still going strong today.'

I can see a few fishing boats on the estuary,

and you can actually smell the fish in the air.

Yeah, we've still got a fishing industry here

and a local fisherman catches locally and sells it locally.

You can't get any fresher than that.

-I might have some fish for my tea tonight.

-Yeah, yeah.

'The village itself is often bypassed by tourists,

'travelling instead to Aberystwyth or further north.

'It may take a bit of an effort to get here

'but this hidden gem really is worth going that extra mile.

'At the end of the 19th century this small sleepy village became

'a boomtown for ship building,

'transforming it into a busy, vibrant place.'

From the 1840s onwards there was seven major shipbuilders

in the village, three of them on this site that we're just

walking into now, and they built some beautiful ships,

albeit on a small scale, but anything from 80-120 tonnes, you know.

I've got a picture here of the shipyard as it was,

and this is Roger Lewis's shipyard here.

There it is, the Dyfi packet, on this site.

-And the Anna Maria under repair.

-This is right here?

At this very spot here.

But the finest of the Aberdyfi shipbuilders was Thomas Richards.

He was a true artist and built some very, very beautiful ships,

including the Maglona.

'The Maglona was a magnificent schooner,

'and one of the finest of the 45 sailing ships built in Aberdyfi.

'The ships built here were known for their quality

'and used to transport goods all over the world,

'with some going as far as Canada and back.'

'Leaving the village,

'we pass through the tranquil Penhelig Park, before dropping down

'to walk along the water's edge

'and along the estuary towards Machynlleth.'

They call this the Roman road

but of course it wasn't built by the Romans,

it was actually built by Corbett of Ynysmaengwyn Estate

in about 1808.

And it was described by Fenton, a travelling journalist,

as one of the finest rides in the principality.

'Initially built for horse and carriage,

'the sea has since swallowed the bulk of this road.

'But don't worry, these days, I'm told,

'it rarely floods during high tide.

'So you're safe to go for a stroll any time of the day.

'Just make sure you wear good shoes,

'as it can get quite slippery when wet.

'The stone path ends at Picnic Island.

'It's not actually an island

'but got its name after being cut off by the railway in 1863.

'Today the Cambrian Coast Railway offers a stunning train ride,

'hugging the coastline from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli.

'I'm afraid this next bit comes with a word of warning.'

-And there's no pavement, is there?

-No.

OK.

'This road section is only short

'but you still need to stay on your guard and keep an eye out for cars.'

Well, it's nice to be off the main road.

Certainly is, and it's a bit cooler here as well.

'Weaving our way up through this beautiful woodland

'offers a complete contrast to the sea views

'and hustle and bustle of the village below.'

-Lovely little stream, David.

-Yeah, that's called Nant Coed-y-Glyn.

So where are we now, then?

Well, the footpath leads through the grounds of the Outward Bound Trust.

This was actually the first Outward Bound set up in the whole world,

-a worldwide organisation.

-Right here?

-Yes, here in Aberdyfi.

It was set up in 1941 and the issue was, young men at sea,

and this was wartime, going into the water and not able to survive.

So they were teaching them the skills here.

'These important skills for surviving out at sea

'saved the lives of many merchant seamen during the war

'and today the centre is still teaching water-based activities

'and skills to thousands of young people who come here

'looking for adventure in the great outdoors.

'Soon we break out into the open fields above the estuary.

'We're now on David's land.

'He's on home turf, and what a magnificent place to call your own.

'Also admiring the views are the swallows,

'and gathering on cables like this signals the start

'of their epic 6,000-mile journey to Africa.

'I need a sit-down just thinking about it.'

Well, here we are, Derek. The path has taken us to my home,

so there's a chance of a cup of tea.

-Well, we deserve one after walking up this hill.

-Yeah.

'Well, what a spot. And there's even some cake on the go.

'Some lovely bara brith served up by David's dad, Robert.'

Bendigedig.

-This is lovely.

-I made it specially for you this morning(!)

-It's yours, is it? It's all your doing.

-Yeah.

-Very good. Mae'n flasys iawn.

-ROBERT CHUCKLES

That'll be the day!

'And all too soon it's time to move on

'and we head off uphill once more.'

-Diolch yn fawr.

-Croeso.

Well, the footpath passes really close to your house, David.

Does it bother you, people walking through your farm?

No, doesn't bother me at all.

I'm very happy to give people a welcome.

And I think it's important that people come

and enjoy our footpaths.

Landowners and farmers should be the ambassadors for the countryside.

'I'm sure for most people

'having a footpath so close could be more of a hindrance

'so it's great to hear that David is happy to have walkers

'on his land - as long as they stick to the footpath, that is.'

Oh... Climbing a bit now. I can feel it.

Yes, it's a good pull up here.

The farmhouse is at 300 foot

and then we go just to 800 foot at the top of the ridge.

So it could be raining down on the farm and snowing up here.

DAVID CHUCKLES Well, we do... That happens, yeah, yeah.

'With such a steep climb,

'I'm not surprised that my legs are now feeling the strain,

'but it's amazing how quickly the clear blue skies have changed

'to a murky mist as we near the top.'

All right, Derek, levelling out a bit now.

We'll have a bit of a breather here.

Got a bit of a sad story, really,

involving an aeroplane crash at the end of the Second World War.

Aeroplane coming up from the south,

crossing the Dyfi Estuary in thick mist,

and the plane looks up and he sees the top of the mountain there

and he thinks, "That's the ridge I must get over,"

but he was going straight into the side of this hill here.

At the last minute he turns to the right

and ends up crashing in a field there,

and sadly, of three on board, two were killed and one was rescued.

After that the RAF put up a manned beacon here

with a light flashing day and night to prevent it happening again.

It's a very sad story in such a beautiful surroundings.

Yeah, yes, it is.

'And it's a story that's echoed all over Wales,

'with reminders of tragic plane crashes

'on so many of our hills and mountains.

'Up on the ridge we're rewarded with hazy

'but wonderful views across the Tarrenau mountains.

'And this is Cwm Maethlon, renamed Happy Valley by the Victorians,

'who were the first to start walking for pleasure.'

Hey, I've never seen one of these before.

You can get some refreshment here, Derek.

Welsh cakes, water,

-and an honesty box inside.

-Well, look at that.

Welsh cakes a pound. I'll have a packet of those.

There you are, there you go. Bingo.

-Fantastic.

-Mmm, they look nice.

These will keep me going for a while.

-All the way back to Aberdyfi.

-Not far.

'Well, I can't say I was expecting to do some shopping on this walk

'but what a treat to stumble across along the way,

'and just when I thought things couldn't get any better...'

Well, that view is absolutely wonderful.

-Amazing looking across Cardigan Bay.

-It is.

I bet you never tire of this view.

-No, I don't, and every day is different.

-Just like the weather!

'And as we drop back down to sea level it seems there are now

'only two things standing between me and that beach.'

Crossing the Cambrian Coast railway line here, Derek.

-We'll have to be careful.

-Is it a busy line?

It is when the train comes. We've got to stop, look and listen.

'Train crossings can be extremely dangerous places

'so we cross with care.

'And it's not time to relax just yet.

'We now have to dodge some high-speed balls as we make our way

'across Aberdyfi's golf course.

'Don't worry, he wasn't aiming for me. At least, I hope he wasn't.'

Well, we managed to get across the golf course in one piece.

Yep, certainly did.

Well, Derek, the journey comes to the end.

And here we are, look at this, the best beach in Wales.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

Not quite as nice as the beach in Barry-bados.

In your dreams, Derek.

Well, even a Barry boy has to admit

that this is a really fabulous beach.

Well, for me, this walk has been

a real eye-opener to a part of Wales I thought I knew.

A charming town, rolling hills, stunning views,

and a beautiful beach to finish.

What more could you ask for?

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

go to bbc.co.uk/weathermanwalking

and take a look at our website. It's got everything you need,

from detailed route information for each walk,

to walking maps for you to print off.

There are also some photos we took along the way.

Our next walk also takes us through both town and country.

But this time we're down south, following a fascinating

and surprising route near Merthyr Tydfil.

Where would you rather be? Stuck behind the wheel of a car

on a boring stretch of road,

or out in the open air on a tailor-made trail

heading for the hills?

I know which I prefer.

I'm starting my walk at Cyfarthfa Castle.

Built in the early 1800s, this grand abode

was the family home of the Crawshays,

ironmasters who made their fortunes when Merthyr's iron boom

was at its height. Today, it houses a fascinating museum,

and it's well worth spending an hour or two there

before setting off on your walk.

Leading me on my Merthyr voyage of discovery is author, journalist

and travel writer Rebecca Lees.

Originally from Swansea and now living near Pontypridd,

Becky has been a mad-keen walker for as long as she can remember.

And she combines her love of walking and history

in her guidebooks for walkers.

-Hi, Rebecca.

-Hi, Derek, how are you?

-I'm all right.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you. Well, this used to be a grand family home.

-That's right.

-What on earth are these cannons doing here, then?

Well, the cannons were central to the war effort, really,

at the height of the Napoleonic Wars because the Crawshays,

who owned Cyfarthfa Castle and the ironworks,

were responsible for making them.

And Merthyr was so central to the war effort

that Lord Nelson actually visited Merthyr in 1802 with Lady Hamilton.

-So a lot of history here.

-Lots of history going on, yes.

Merthyr sits on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Our route takes us from the grounds of Cyfarthfa Castle

down and over the River Taff,

then a short detour to the site of the old ironworks,

before heading out of town along the Taff Trail

to call in at Vaynor Church.

And then climbing steeply up to the hilltop site of Morlais Castle.

It's then downhill all the way,

along the banks of the Taf Fechan

back to the start,

having walked 7.5 surprising miles.

Nice little footbridge here, Rebecca.

Well, it's actually more than a footbridge.

It's actually the oldest surviving

cast-iron railway bridge in the world.

It's called Pont y Cafnau, which means Bridge of the Troughs,

and there would have been a huge aqueduct running along the top here,

and that would have carried water into the ironworks

and powered a massive wheel.

And this tramway here would have taken limestone to the ironworks?

-Yeah, that's right, from the Gurnos Quarry.

-It's hard to believe,

-that this is the oldest cast-iron bridge in the world.

-Yeah.

-And it's right here in Merthyr Tydfil.

-That's right.

-Quite tucked out of the way, isn't it?

-Next to the industrial estate!

A brief detour downstream leads to a once-impressive industrial landmark,

which contributed to the transformation of Merthyr

from a small farming village to the largest town in Wales.

You could walk or cycle past this piece of waste ground

and not realise that it's a really significant historic site.

In some ways, it's where the Industrial Revolution

really took off.

Here is the Cyfarthfa Ironworks.

And you can still see six arches from the glass furnaces.

It still looks very impressive today,

but in the 19th century it would have been far, far bigger,

because the site here was at the core of the Industrial Revolution.

Iron from here would have been transported, exported,

-all over the world.

-Yeah, that's right.

To America and to the British colonies and all across Europe.

Cyfarthfa was the largest of four main ironworks in Merthyr,

and iron was smelted in these glass furnaces 24/7.

The sheer scale, the size of this place is amazing, isn't it?

Yeah, it's absolutely enormous.

You can imagine what it would have been like working here,

with the blast furnaces going,

lighting up the night sky for miles around.

-Lots of smoke and fire and noise.

-Lots of noise, yeah.

So it must have been quite a terrifying place to work, actually,

for some of the small children who worked here.

-No Health & Safety in those days, either.

-No! Not at all.

There would have been fatalities, horrible injuries.

But it's really important to remember the significance of this place.

-I mean, it's such a part of our industrial heritage.

-It certainly is.

This place does feel neglected, even though

it's got bags of potential as an historic site.

We're getting a bit higher now.

Yeah, it's a nice section of the Taff Trail, isn't it?

And a great view of Cyfarthfa Castle from here.

Yeah, it's lovely. You can see

the luxury in which the Crawshays would have lived

compared to the workers.

I must have driven up the A470 so many times,

and glanced over at the Cefn Coed viaduct,

never realising that you can actually walk or cycle over it.

Up until 1966, this impressive structure

carried the Brecon and Merthyr Railway,

the beginning of a very scenic trip

right through the heart of the Beacons to Brecon.

Its design is also rather unusual.

-One thing I've noticed - it's curved. Why's that?

-Yeah.

That's quite unusual for a viaduct.

Crawshay knew the engineer, so they designed it

in a curved fashion to avoid Crawshay's land.

-Nice to have friends in high places!

-Yeah, absolutely!

For a short distance from the viaduct,

our trail threads its way through the village of Cefn-coed-y-cymmer.

This is really the only part of the route where you're walking

along a few streets, past pubs, houses and a church.

And before you know it, you're out in the country!

Well, you're right, Rebecca, it has opened out. Just look at that view!

Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

The amazing thing is, it's all so close to the town, on the doorstep.

Well, that's why Merthyr is where Merthyr is,

because we've got all these natural resources here

that were needed to feed the ironworks. So down there,

there would have been a limestone quarry.

And you've got all the water you'd need to make the iron.

Strange to think that if it hadn't been for the natural resources

that all happened to be close together here,

there would have been no iron and steel industry

and no Merthyr as we know it.

This old railway line we're following would have

played its part in carrying goods and passengers into and out of town.

It was very picturesque, but owing to the number of accidents

caused by the very steep gradient further up the line,

the Brecon & Merthyr also became known as

the Breakneck & Murder Railway.

-So we're going off the rails a bit now.

-Yeah, that's right.

We're actually walking on the old Pontsarn station platform,

and in its day this was a real tourist attraction,

with trainfuls of Sunday School parties

and sightseers pulling up to this lovely beauty spot.

Well, I can see why. We're only a couple of miles from town,

-and you've got all this beautiful countryside.

-Yeah.

Right in the middle of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

-Can't beat it.

-It's lovely.

So far, we've been following the Taff Trail,

a 55-mile walking and cycle path

that runs all the way from Cardiff to Brecon.

But having crossed another old viaduct at Pontsarn,

we leave the easygoing tarmac surface and drop more steeply

down towards the Taf Fechan river.

Careful on the bridge. It gets quite slippery in the rain.

-It's quite narrow, isn't it?

-Yeah, quite tight.

A convenient footbridge leads us across the valley

towards St Gwynno's Church.

Nearly at the church now.

The church was, in fact, built by one of the Crawshays

to replace a dilapidated old 13th-century Norman church.

And even though the rain's arrived, there's no chance of shelter,

because what we've come to see is in the churchyard.

This is St Gwynno's Church, but it's known locally as Vaynor Church,

and it was built by Robert Thompson Crawshay.

And round the back here there's something quite extraordinary.

-I've never seen a tombstone this big before.

-Yeah, it's huge, isn't it?

That's an enormous piece of Radyr sandstone,

and this is the grave of Robert Thompson Crawshay.

He was the third in the line of ironmasters.

And it says on there, "God forgive me".

-What was he asking forgiveness for?

-The story goes

that he wasn't a very nice employer. But it's more likely to refer to

the fact that he wasn't very nice to his family either.

In particular, his daughter, Rose Harriette.

Now, he told her she could never get married.

But she disobeyed him and she did get married,

and apparently he repented of it just before he died.

-A lesson for all of us.

-It is!

Placed into the wall on the other side of the church

is the headstone of local parishioner Catherine Morgan,

who lived to the very grand old age of 106.

-That's a fantastic age to live for that era.

-Yeah, it is.

And she actually lived through the reign of seven monarchs.

Seven monarchs!

Bet not many of you could name all those.

-Which way are we going, left or right?

-Just left here.

And there's just a short section of road, just a few hundred yards.

Just down here we've got what's known locally as Blue Pool.

Well, it doesn't look very blue to me.

-Not today!

-I'll have to come back another time,

-when the sun's shining.

-Yeah.

-Nice gorge, though.

-Lovely, isn't it?

Well, the forecast did say it would brighten up, and I'm glad to say

it was right again.

-Sharp turn.

-Yeah.

We're now heading for the hilltop location of Morlais Castle,

built by a Norman lord, Gilbert de Clare, around 1287.

by that time, he'd already built Caerphilly Castle,

so he knew a thing or two about castle-building.

But you'd never guess it from this one.

Well, what a fantastic location.

It's not as impressive as Caerphilly Castle,

but it does have its own golf course.

At one time, huge round towers stood at each end of this enclosure.

But over hundreds of years, the castle was gradually dismantled,

apart from a vaulted crypt,

which amazingly survives almost completely intact.

And here we are.

On top of Morlais Castle, with 360-degree panoramic views.

It's amazing.

We can see right down the Taff Vale there, down towards Pontypridd.

And to the north, the Brecon Beacons.

Lovely, isn't it? And just down there, you can see most of

-the route we've walked today.

-And the A470 snaking its way down as well.

What a fascinating walk. And we did indeed have a few surprises,

from the world's oldest cast-iron rail bridge,

a rare curved viaduct,

a woman who lived through the reign of seven monarchs,

and one of the largest tombstones I've ever seen.

All in one wonderful walk. Shall we go?

So there we are. It's downhill all the way from here,

beside the Taf Fechan river, back to Cyfarthfa Castle.