Llandrillo and Tenby Weatherman Walking

I love going for a walk, but going for a walk with one of these?

I'm not too sure about that!

Later on, I've got a seaside rendezvous in Tenby, the place

they used to call the Welsh Naples.

But first, I'm heading up

into the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales

with some rather unusual company.

They say in television - never work with children or animals,

but my first walk is along an old drovers' route,

so just like them, I'll be taking some four-legged friends along.

Wish me luck!

My guide is Carol Jerman, a local art teacher and llama lover.

She's owned her llamas for over ten years and offers guided llama walks

for those who fancy a walk with a difference.

MUSIC: Black Beauty Theme by Denis King

Here they are. My special friends!

What are they called?

-This one is Eddie.

-Hi, Eddie. And the one over here is Koobie.

And Koobie. And who's the one in the middle?

The one in the middle is my friend Fran, who is helping us today.

-Hi, Fran.

-Hi, Derek. Nice to meet you.

You're doing a fantastic job.

Have you handled big animals before, Derek?

-Well, um, I've had a dog in my time and um...

-OK.

..a goldfish, guinea pigs - but I've never worked with llamas before.

I think they want to be on their way.

Whoops! He definitely wants to be on the way!

-I'm in charge of Eddie, am I?

-Yes!

Come on, Eddie!

Let's go llama walking.

Let's go llama walking.

'Or should I say, Derek walking, as right now,

'it seems Eddie is taking me for a walk.'

I think he's a bit confused. Come on, it's this way.

My llama adventure starts in the village of Llandrillo

in Denbighshire.

Leaving the car park, we follow an old drovers' road up to

the impressive stone circle at Ty-uchaf,

before rejoining the main track and heading up into the Berwyns

to the Wayfarer memorial stone on the Nant Rhyd Wilym Pass.

After a quick stop at the top,

we retraced our hoofprints before taking a different route back through

forest and farmland to Llandrillo,

a total trek of just over nine miles.

They're very easy to handle.

Wherever the head goes, the animal goes.

And don't worry about him spitting, by the way.

They've got such a bad reputation,

but he'll give you plenty of warning.

They only do it if they get annoyed by something.

So, Carol, why did you choose to own llamas?

Why not a dog?

Well, I was watching Countryfile about 13 years ago

and there was a bit in it about a family in Northamptonshire

doing this very thing, and I thought "That's what I want to do."

I got some training and then I got someone who had llamas to

help me find some, and these came from a llama farm

in Pembrokeshire, so they're Welsh llamas.

Fantastic.

So are they easy to look after?

They're really easy. They're very hardy.

They have a shelter they can go in whenever they want,

but most of the time, they just stay out in the field.

'Native to South America,

'llamas have been used as pack animals for thousands of years

'and are one of our oldest domesticated animals.'

Are they used to walking up and down the hills?

Oh, they're mountain animals.

It's so easy for them.

D'you know, a llama's got more haemoglobin in its blood

-than any other mammal.

-Really?

-Yeah.

They find altitude and hills so easy.

Not like me!

-They're probably fitter than us.

-Absolutely.

'Unlike ponies, llamas aren't strong enough to carry people,

'but Eddie's offered to carry my lunch instead.

'He's great company, too.'

Oh, thanks, Fran.

So we're going on the Taith Tegid, the Tegid Way now, Derek.

It's a footpath that goes from Cynwyd right through to Bala.

We're actually on an old drovers' road here, Derek.

The whole of the Berwyns are absolutely crisscrossed with them,

going right over to the cities of England.

They used to bring hundreds and hundreds of animals across here,

mainly sheep but some unusual things as well - geese!

Geese?

Geese. They actually used to put tar on their feet like shoes

so their feet wouldn't wear out.

Imagine taking a whole flock of geese

-all the way over to the Midlands.

-Hundreds of miles.

Yeah, and see the valley down there? Those lovely green fields there?

They used to bring the cattle even over from Ireland and they'd

fatten them there, get them all ready

before they crossed the Berwyns.

In all kinds of weather. Rain, hail, snow, gales.

-In all kinds of weather. Absolutely.

-The lot.

And even in the summer,

it's not always a joke up on top there.

They must have been a really tough lot.

-Very hardy.

-Really tough.

-Come on.

'And here's me struggling with just one llama!'

Isn't it lovely?

Gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful.

-It's one of my favourite parts of Wales, the Berwyn Mountains.

-Yes.

And not known as well as it should be.

People go straight past to Snowdonia and it's so marvellous here.

You don't have to go that far, do you?

You don't have to go that far.

'So my advice - skip Snowdonia and give the Berwyns a bash.'

# Lift up the lids of your eyes... #

'But just when I feel I'm finally in control,

'the llamas have other ideas.'

-Cooling off.

-Is he?

I think we might be needing a toilet break.

Yes, there he goes.

DEREK LAUGHS

It's not quite Niagara Falls, is it?

No, it isn't!

They don't like to relieve themselves just anywhere.

They like a proper toilet, and if there isn't one,

running water will do.

Eddie! He might want to have a wee.

They generally do synchronised weeing.

-Synchronised weeing!

-Synchronised weeing, yes.

Is that an Olympic sport?

'And after the world's longest loo break, we carry on.'

-I'm really enjoying this.

-Yes, lovely, isn't it? It's great.

Yeah, these days, you see all this and think the Berwyns are empty,

almost like a wilderness.

But there's been so much farming and settlement here

since prehistory, you know.

I think I'd rather be farming down in the valley

below than up on the top here.

That used to be very, very heavily wooded and marshy.

Whereas you get to about 2,400 to about 1,400 BC, warmer climate.

They were living and farming up here, not down there.

It was no good down there. Too many trees, where up here, it was great.

If you have a look at the wall over there, you see the upright slates?

That's the old medieval fencing.

And then you get the ordinary dry stone and then the modern stuff.

-I don't think the modern stuff is as pretty, myself.

-It isn't, no.

-I prefer the original fencing.

-Yeah.

Which you see a lot of in Snowdonia.

You do, yes.

But going back to prehistory,

there's a real special example to show you just ahead.

You're going to enjoy this.

'So while the llamas rest, we set off.

'If these hills look steep, that's because they are!

'We've climbed 900ft in just over one mile.

'This is Moel Ty Uchaf stone circle, dating back to Neolithic times,

'when the whole Berwyn range was littered with stone circles,

'cairns and burial chambers.'

-Look at the views!

-I know. 360 all the way around.

You can see the sea over there by Prestatyn.

-Hey, is that Snowdon over there in the distance?

-Yes, it is.

And our destination.

-Right there on the skyline, yes.

-Right over there. I tell you what,

it's a great place to keep an eye on the weather.

Look at these cumulus clouds!

Yes, look at them!

-Bendigedig!

-Bendigedig!

Well, thanks so much for bringing me all the way up here.

-It's really worth it, isn't it?

-It is, it is. Yeah.

-Well, we'd better get back to the llamas now.

-Better had.

-They'll be missing us.

-They will - especially you!

-Let's go.

-THEY LAUGH

Here they are.

Look who's here. They've been fine.

-Hello.

-They've been fine. There you are, Koobie.

Hello, Koobie. Good boy. Come on, boys.

-Glad to be back with your llama?

-I am, yeah. I missed him.

-Yeah!

# Os yw'th seren di ar goll

# Ar noson ddu

# Tyrd adre'n ol

# Nol ata i... #

The Berwyns are famous for their isolation and wildness,

but when the weather turns, they can be deadly.

It happened in 1886 - great snowstorm on St David's Day.

A young farmer, Henry Davies, went up to bring his sheep down

to try to save them from the storm, from the blizzard.

And even though he knew the mountains like the back of his hand,

in the blizzard, he went over the edge of the cliff

with one of his flock in his arms and died,

and the people in the village

were so moved that they erected a very fine tombstone,

telling the story, headed with "Y Bugail Da" - "The Good Shepherd."

-That's a real tragic story.

-It is.

And it just goes to show how horrendous conditions can be up here.

Yes, they can. You have to treat the hills with respect.

'The Berwyns also kept an English invasion at bay.

'When King Henry II marched his army up here to invade Gwynedd in 1165,

'they were struck by bad weather and hundreds died -

'and this was in August!'

Come on, Koobie.

Well, there we are. They're in the water again, Derek.

They love it, don't they?

Keeping their hooves clean.

Yeah, keeping them nice and clean and cool.

And talking about having a paddle

or something a bit more than a paddle, have a look down there.

See that deep pool there?

-Yeah.

-And the stone walls coming down toward it.

Oh, yeah. What's that been done for?

-Sheep.

-Sheep?

-Washing them.

-Sheep bath?

-Yeah, sheep bath,

to get some of the oil out of the fleece

before they hand-sheared them.

-I bet the water is cold.

-I bet it's really cold.

Come on.

-So how are you enjoying your llama?

-I'm really enjoying it.

Me and Eddie have bonded.

I think you have. I think he really likes you.

'It's amazing how much I've enjoyed walking with Eddie.

'He is such a character and great fun to have around.'

Well, we're not far from the top now, Derek.

It's just up there - the Nant Wilym Pass.

'As we near the top of Nant Rhyd Wilym Pass,

'We stop to catch our breath and Carol tells me

'why this path is more famous by another name.'

This path is more commonly known as Wayfarer.

This is Wayfarer. WM Robinson.

And he was a passionate off-road cyclist,

right at the beginning of the 20th century.

'Wayfarer wrote many articles about his cycling adventures

'and his most famous account was crossing the Berwyns in 1919.'

This is this pass - artist's impression of the mountains.

-Look at this mountain. It's covered in snow.

-I know.

-Blimey!

-They came over in March.

-Look at this!

-In the snow.

-In the snow! Snowstorm.

From Llanarmon over there, over the pass, down towards Llandrillo,

against a north-westerly gale.

And look what he's wearing!

Yeah, they look like plus-fours, don't they?

Imagine cycling in those!

I know. It was the best they had, no doubt!

And this was the artist's impression, with their heads down.

They must have been a tough bunch.

When we get to the top, there is a memorial dedicated to him.

-I'd like to see that.

-Wayfarer. Yeah, let's go and have a look.

-"Un oedd yn Caru Cymru. A lover of Wales."

-Yes.

Well, open it and have a look.

'Next to the memorial is a box where

'passers-by leave comments and trinkets.'

He was obviously a very popular guy.

Very popular and still is.

'So it's only fair that after walking Wayfarer, it's my turn.'

This is turning into an essay.

Turning into an essay!

I'd better mention the weather. "Chilly wind, but dry."

That's really nice.

Righto.

Picnic time.

# Glory hallelujah... #

'But before we head back down to Llandrillo,

'it's time for a picnic - and what a spot!

'Just check out those views across the Berwyn Mountains.'

# And I'm a sitting on top of the world... #

Well, Carol, I've got to admit,

I wasn't sure about walking with llamas, but I've got to say,

I've really enjoyed it,

and the best bit is - I didn't have to carry my lunch!

CAROL LAUGHS

So a big thanks to Koobie and Eddie and thank you, Carol and Fran,

for taking me on a wonderful walk in the Berwyn Mountains.

Fantastic. I think we deserve this.

Definitely. We do!

And if you fancy trying this - or any of our walks - go to our website.

It's got route information and maps for you to print off or you can

download it onto your tablet and take it with you.

Next, I'm at one of the prettiest towns in Wales -

Tenby in Pembrokeshire, famous for its beaches and winding streets.

But this walk is going to show me another side to the town,

with stories of murder and mystery.

# D'you want to go to the seaside... #

Tenby is on the south coast of Pembrokeshire.

My walk starts at Castle Hill, overlooking the harbour,

before heading down to the South Beach.

We then cut through the Burrows and the Kiln Park Holiday Centre

before following paths across field marshlands.

From the ruins of Scotsborough house,

we go up through the outskirts of town,

before walking above the North Beach.

Then it's to the historic walled town before ending up

where we started - just over five miles in total.

Showing me around is Marion Davies.

She's an official town guide,

so she knows Tenby like the back of her hand.

-Hi, Marion.

-Hi.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

-What a fantastic view from up here.

A little bit grey and murky at the moment,

-but hopefully it will lift and clear later on.

-Yeah, absolutely.

So, tell me - how long have people been coming to Tenby for?

Well, of course, Tenby really went through a period of great development during the

mid-18th century, with the coming of the seawater craze, really.

So it was the creation of the resort.

What we're going to do, it's going to take us around the town,

-but we're going to see a hidden side of Tenby as well.

-Yes.

Some of the places that perhaps visitors don't get to see.

Locals know but perhaps not so many visitors, really,

so a little bit of murder and mystery as well.

-Sounds interesting. Shall we go?

-Let's.

Even on a grey and misty morning, Tenby still looks pretty special

with its famous multicoloured houses, but it wasn't always that way.

This colour of this house here, this sort of buff, cream one.

That's how Tenby would have looked once upon a time,

when the houses first went up, really.

Nobody knows, really, which was the first one to suddenly

change to, you know, a brighter colour.

Um, it's sort of one of those mysteries, really.

'Since the 18th century, Tenby has been a magnet for tourists,

'including well-known writers and artists.'

Some of the most famous people of their eras, really, came to Tenby,

people like George Eliot - er, we're going to go down Cob Lane here.

Er, George Eliot, of course, Daniel Defoe -

Turner, the famous painter, of course.

-He came here?

-He did, yeah.

'With all this mist, we could be in a Turner painting today.'

What's that island called, then?

Um, that's St Catherine's island over there

and the strange building at the top, that's actually a Victorian fort.

It was built there because there was an anticipated attack by the French.

They thought they were going to land on the beach here.

It was one of a number of forts that were

built around the coastline at that time.

What's it used for now?

Well, it's in the process of being converted into a tourist attraction,

which will be a great addition to the town.

Tenby has two beaches, the North and the South.

They're amongst the best in the whole of Britain

and form part of Pembrokeshire's coastal path.

-So where are we now, Marion?

-Well, this is South Beach.

It's about two miles of golden sands.

Very quiet today but I bet it gets jam-packed when it's hot and sunny.

Yeah, very, very busy. Especially at the two ends

but there's always a little quiet bit in the middle, really.

And what's this on our right here? Sand dunes?

This is an area known as the Burrows locally.

It was actually very heavily mined during the Second World War.

They used these beaches here, you know,

-for practising for the D-Day landings.

-Really?

-Yeah.

So we're going to leave the beach here now

and we're going to cut through the Burrows.

-We're not going to get lost, are we?

-No. I've got my map and my compass!

I'm relying on you!

# I want to get lost with you

# It's the only thing I want to do. #

We leave the beach behind and cut through the Burrows.

This area was once a tidal estuary, before the railway

blocked off the river and was a key part of Tenby's maritime trade.

A sign of the town's industrial past is hidden away in a caravan site.

'The clue is in the name - Kiln Park.'

-Well, this is amazing. What is it?

-It's a series of lime kilns.

Immediately behind you, there's actually the Black Rock Quarry

and they used to take the limestone from there and then layer it

into the kilns here with coal and it was then burnt

and the residual powder that was formed was then used to make

whitewash, for your buildings -

it would keep it waterproof, it was used for mortar and very

particularly, it was used as a fertiliser to sweeten acid soils.

-A little bit hidden away, but...

-Very.

-..beautiful building.

Yeah, it's one of these little industrial gems, really,

quite hidden away.

But this is quite a busy road here, so we have to cross carefully.

But I'm going to take you into the marsh now.

And look, the low cloud and mist has cleared.

-Finally.

-Blue sky and sunshine.

-Perfect!

You really get a sense of the old marshes here.

This is really a sort of wet area

that was flooded as the tide came in.

It's so different in here, isn't it,

-away from the hustle and bustle of the beach.

-I know.

It's really lush and green and in fact, this is an ancient

medieval causeway running right through the marshes here.

-Well, this is gorgeous.

-Yeah, this is the River Ritec, actually.

It was navigable two miles inland, actually.

Um, in fact, this beautiful spot belies a terrible murder

that took place here in 1722.

Actually, just a little bit further down the river here,

it was when one of our mayors, actually, of Tenby and his son

murdered two nephews of the family.

One was strangled and the other one was mutilated,

but they were hung for their crimes in London, in fact but

ever since that time, their ghosts are said to haunt this whole area.

So you never know what you're going to see.

-You wouldn't want to come here at night, then.

-Absolutely not.

Careful how you go here. It's really slippery.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

-It is slippery.

The walk through the marshes is really peaceful and full of wildlife.

You can even see otters and kingfishers if you're really lucky.

'Halfway through, you have to cross a busy road.

'But on the other side,

'Marion has more of Tenby's hidden history to show me.'

Looks impressive and spooky.

Yeah, so this is the ruin of Scotsborough House.

It was once occupied by the ap Rice family

and it was said that the ap Rice family of Scotsborough

and also the Bowens of Trefloyne,

another great house from over the other side of what was the estuary

once upon a time, were both involved in wrecking - a terrible business.

'Wreckers lured ships to their doom.

'They stole the cargo and often murdered the passengers as well.'

It was said that a son - the only son from the ap Rice family -

and a daughter from Trefloyne, had gone over to Ireland,

were returning back, and wrecked by their own families who then

found their bodies on the beaches and it was said that

since that time, the house has fallen into sadness and decay.

-That's a real sad story.

-It is.

-There's a lot more to Tenby than meets the eye.

-Definitely.

It's been great to find out about Tenby's hidden history

and as we make our way back to town, I can't wait to soak up the sun

and get an eyeful of Tenby's beautiful beaches.

So we're just going to come up here, up onto the Croft, which will start

to bring us back into Tenby and some lovely views of the harbour.

# Seaside, whenever you stroll along with me

# I'm merely contemplating what you feel inside

# Meanwhile, I asked you to... #

-Lovely, isn't it?

-Absolutely stunning.

We can see our new lifeboat station off there, behind our old one.

It's actually the fifth in Tenby.

Very proud history of lifeboat service.

-Nice little harbour.

-Beautiful.

You can see, I mean, it's very sheltered here.

You can see why it would have been the ideal location, really.

And in fact, this area was very much favoured

at the development of the tourist industry, really,

because it compared very favourably with the Bay of Naples

and in fact, Tenby was known as the Naples of Wales for years.

-We could be abroad, couldn't we?

-I know, we could be.

# Write to me from Naples

# Write me every day... #

Tenby is one of the most complete walled towns in the whole of Wales.

The walls date back to the 1260s.

Must have had some good builders then!

-Well, this is very impressive.

-Yes. It's known locally as the Five Arches.

It was one of the main entrances into the walled town.

It dates back to 1328, thereabouts, and a formidable defence, really.

Are we going into the town now?

We are. Let's go into the walled part of the town.

'We were filming in Tenby on a sunny day at the start of the school holidays, so the town was packed.

'But Marian took me for a break into St Mary's Church,

'an oasis of quiet amongst all the bustle.'

It's actually the largest medieval parish church in Wales, you know.

We're going to go and have a look in there.

-It's very light, isn't it?

-I know.

We were quite lucky, because the Victorians made things

really dark and dour, but this is beautifully light.

So this is the tomb of the ap Rice family.

We were actually at their ruinous house at Scotsborough earlier today.

She was actually only 32 years of age

and after 12 years of marriage and bearing ten children,

-she died in childbirth, which is why she is laying on her side there on the pillow.

-Ten children!

I know. You can see the surviving children underneath.

Three girls and four boys.

The rest obviously didn't make it.

I've got something interesting to show you just here.

It's a plaque to commemorate the life of Robert Recorde.

He was born here in Tenby sort of circa 1510. Clever man.

You know, what there was to know about maths

and science at the time, he knew about it and, in fact,

he is credited as having invented the equals sign.

-That's amazing.

-I know. Also, they think, plus and minus.

-Very intelligent, then.

-Yeah, very clever.

'Marion knows everything about Tenby's history.

'It's definitely starting to add up!'

Actually, it's quite nice to have this little breeze, isn't it?

'We're almost back where we started, passing some picturesque views of the harbour.

'Tenby has always attracted artists,

'the most famous being brother and sister Augustus and Gwen John,

'who grew up in the town. So before we finish,

'we popped into Tenby's museum and art gallery

'to look at one of Gwen's paintings.'

It's this picture here by Gwen John.

She was probably only 20 years of age when she painted this

and it's unusual, because it's a landscape.

Normally, she used to paint things like portraits or interiors,

still lifes, that kind of thing.

So for it to be of Tenby as well is exceptionally special, really.

-When was it painted?

-About 1896.

-It looks like they are going for a walk, like us!

-Around the harbour!

Where could be better!

# Seaside, whenever you stroll along with me

# I'm merely contemplating what you feel inside... #

Well, thanks very much, Marion, for a wonderful walk

and for showing me the many different sides to Tenby.

Oh, thanks so much for coming

-and I hope you're going to come and visit us in Tenby again.

-You bet!

MUSIC: Seaside Rendezvous by Queen

# Seaside rendezvous, so adorable

# Seaside rendezvous, woo-hoo!

# Seaside rendezvous - give us a kiss! #