0:00:00 > 0:00:03You might think that these remote Welsh hills are off limits for
0:00:03 > 0:00:05disabled people,
0:00:05 > 0:00:06but think again.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Oi, wait for me!
0:00:34 > 0:00:38My walks this week have the "Oooh" factor - water, wildlife
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and wicked views - what more could you want?
0:00:44 > 0:00:46This week I'll be island-walking
0:00:46 > 0:00:50and bird-watching on Pembrokeshire's stunning Skomer Island, but first,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I'm heading north to the Carneddau Mountains to see what's
0:00:53 > 0:00:58involved in getting away from it all when you're a wheelchair user.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Here in North Wales we're surrounded by loads of wild
0:01:01 > 0:01:05and challenging walks but for some people their biggest challenge
0:01:05 > 0:01:09is something most of us take for granted - walking.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14My guide is Terry Taylor and for over 30 years
0:01:14 > 0:01:16he worked as a British Mountain Guide,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19climbing in amazing locations all over the world.
0:01:19 > 0:01:25But in 2009, a massive stroke changed his life forever.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Hi, Terry, great to meet you.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Hello, Derek, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32- All good, I hope.- Mostly.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33- Mostly.- Yeah.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Well, it's great to be here at the foot of the Carneddau Mountains,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41- looks a bit wild and rough up there. - It is, yes.- Forgive me for asking,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43but how are you going to manage it?
0:01:43 > 0:01:47With some difficulty, I expect, but I do have a secret weapon
0:01:47 > 0:01:50- I'm going to rely on. Come this way and I'll show you.- OK.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Without Celia I wouldn't be able to do anything.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- Derek, this is my wife, Celia. - Hi, nice to meet you, Celia.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- Hello, Derek.- This gets me everywhere I want to be...to get
0:02:10 > 0:02:12or everywhere I can get.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16- And it's sturdy. I've dropped it over a cliff once.- Really?- Yes.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It's very important for us disabled people to have something like this,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23cos it enables us to get up in the mountains on long
0:02:23 > 0:02:28and challenging tracks, we wouldn't otherwise be able to access.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- You couldn't be without it? - I couldn't, no.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Along with Celia, he also couldn't be
0:02:33 > 0:02:35without his amazing support network and today he's joined
0:02:35 > 0:02:39by friend and fellow mountain guide, Malcolm.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- So you're one of Terry's right-hand men?- Yeah, I just come along
0:02:43 > 0:02:46to pick up the bits in case he turns it over,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48which has not been unknown. He's a bit adventurous at times.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50So, shall we get going?
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- Yeah, yeah.- Let's do that.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56OK, let's head for the hills, eh?
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Going for a ramble in the Welsh hills needs preparation,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08but for Terry it's vital that he has the right tools, support
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and supplies to help him get where he wants to go.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16And today Terry's taking me
0:03:16 > 0:03:20along an ancient track, crossing the Carneddau Mountains in Snowdonia.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Starting high above the village of Abergwyngregyn,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26on the north coast of Gwynedd,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29our ramble follows part of the old Roman Road from Caernarfon to
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Chester, with spectacular views across the Menai Strait.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Stopping to hunt for a Roman board game, we finish at Bwlch y Ddeufaen
0:03:37 > 0:03:40"Pass of the Two Stones",
0:03:40 > 0:03:43before retracing our tracks all the way back to the car park.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It's a round trip of just under five and a half miles.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53So, have you been on this track many times before, Terry?
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Oh, yes, cos it's slightly harder, the step up from the dead easy ones,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01which can get a bit boring if you do them too much.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- You like a bit of a challenge?- I do, yes.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Like many disabled people, Terry's disability came later in life
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and totally out of the blue.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18So, Terry, can you tell me what happened?
0:04:18 > 0:04:24It was on New Year's Day, 2009, I had a stroke...
0:04:26 > 0:04:28..and I hadn't even been celebrating.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35I never smoked, I only drank to excess on very rare occasions
0:04:35 > 0:04:40and I was as fit as I could be for my age, 66.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42So did you know what was happening to you?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Did you know it was a stroke?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I suspected it was but I didn't want to admit it, even to myself.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51So the stroke changed your whole life because you were so fit
0:04:51 > 0:04:54and active, always out on the mountains.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Yes, instantaneously, but not just for me,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59for my wife Celia as well.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I really thought I was going to make a miracle recovery in record time
0:05:03 > 0:05:06but of course it didn't happen.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09You must've thought you'd never be able to get out and about
0:05:09 > 0:05:10into the mountains again.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15First of all, I really didn't care whether I lived or died.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19You know, cos it was so traumatic for me.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I didn't care for some weeks...
0:05:27 > 0:05:28..about that.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38But through the support of his family and friends,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Terry eventually found the strength to carry on,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and soon he was back up in the mountains.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48# When life kicks you down when you least expect it
0:05:52 > 0:05:56# When life kicks you out when you've got no home
0:05:58 > 0:06:02# Sometimes to test, to test if you're strong
0:06:04 > 0:06:07# So, follow your heart. #
0:06:07 > 0:06:12- The weather's improving.- Yes. - Some blue sky.- Thank you, Derek.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- I arranged it just for us.- Yes, I know, I knew you had contacts.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22How far does this track go?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25To Chester, eventually.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It linked a line of Roman forts,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Roman way stations from Chester to Segontium.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Segontium was a major Roman fort on the outskirts of Caernarfon,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40built to control the local tribes
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and keep hold of the harvest from Anglesey's breadbasket.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49But unlike the marching Romans, I prefer to go at more leisurely pace.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53# We're on a road to nowhere
0:06:53 > 0:06:56# Come on inside. #
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Oh, there's a little ford, look. I love going through fords.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- You're not going to splash my feet, are you?- No.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05People have lived and farmed up here since prehistory
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and it's still a popular route today.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14Over there, you can see Puffin Island, which a few years ago
0:07:14 > 0:07:19was infested by rats, and the RSPB and the Nature Conservancy cleared
0:07:19 > 0:07:23it of rats, and now puffins are nesting there again.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- You do get some great views from up here.- You sure do.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27You do indeed, yeah.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30With those views over the Irish Sea and Anglesey,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I can see why getting up here is worth the effort.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Have you ever suffered from a flat battery?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40No, no, slow punctures, yeah.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54And since discovering what his all-terrain mobility scooter can do,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57he's now passionate about encouraging
0:07:57 > 0:08:01other disabled people to give one a go and get off the beaten track.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05I belong to an organisation called Disabled Ramblers Association
0:08:05 > 0:08:09and most of the people on that use them, and Disabled Ramblers
0:08:09 > 0:08:14have about seven or eight ones, which can be loaned for rambles.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15They're expensive,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19so Terry helps people try before they buy, organising safe
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and accessible rambles in this corner of North Wales.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26So how do they react when they first come up here?
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Well, most of them are absolutely amazed at how beautiful it is
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and the scenery, what they can see, animals and birds
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and wild horses up here.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40They love it and then they want to go again and again and again!
0:08:40 > 0:08:43For more information about joining a disabled ramblers group,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45visit our website...
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Being up here gives you time to think and appreciate life, doesn't it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Oh, yeah, yeah, it does.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32What do you think of this, then, Derek? Look at all these ponies!
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Beautiful, aren't they?- They are.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38These Carneddau mountain ponies have been isolated up
0:09:38 > 0:09:42here for hundreds of years, making them completely wild
0:09:42 > 0:09:46and genetically unique from other British ponies.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Henry VIII wanted them destroyed
0:09:48 > 0:09:51because they were too small to carry a knight in full armour!
0:09:51 > 0:09:54But today, thanks to the hill farmers working to protect them,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56they are thriving.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It can get pretty rough up here,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00so imagine what it was like for the Romans
0:10:00 > 0:10:03building this road nearly 2,000 years ago.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Did you ever wonder, Derek,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08what Roman soldiers did in their time off?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- No.- They used to play games, like board games on rock.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15I saw it once but I can't remember where it was.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I know it was down there.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19OK, we'll go and have a look, shall we?
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- Just tell us if we're getting close or not.- You're getting warmer.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30HE LAUGHS
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- That's it?- No.- No, OK.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack, Terry's got us
0:10:39 > 0:10:42looking for a stone...on a mountain!
0:10:42 > 0:10:44You don't need to hold hands.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Am I getting closer, Terry?
0:10:54 > 0:11:00- I think you're closer than I am. Hey, look at this.- We found it, Terry.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Terry, we found it!
0:11:02 > 0:11:05So what was this game, then?
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Well, this is a game called Nine Men's Morris.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11There are two players involved and they have nine pieces each
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and they had to line up three of their men to make a mill,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and once you got a mill that was a score.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21And with each mill, an opponent's man was taken,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25until a player was down to just two men, game over.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28And the Romans would have played it sat here, rested and enjoyed
0:11:28 > 0:11:30the wonderful views.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- Right, let's get away. - I bet Terry's missing us.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Yes, I'm sure he is, yes.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Well, we found it, Terry.- Well done.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45It's amazing to think it survived that long!
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Off we go!
0:11:47 > 0:11:50MUSIC: Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Looks a bit tricky here, Terry.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Well, it's a bit more interesting, if that's what you mean?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09You get a bit of a buzz?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Then I put my legs over the top there, like that.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17It seems Terry's whole life has been spent pushing limits
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and living on the edge.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Room for a little one, Derek.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- Good grief, that's not you, is it?- It is, yes.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32And this is on Llanberis Pass, a crag which gets ice on every year
0:12:32 > 0:12:36and I was always the first to climb it. The ice here is only about half
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- an inch thick.- Yeah, it looks like you're just in midair.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45- Did you have any accidents at all? - Yes, I had a major accident in 1965.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50My feet slipped off a hold and I ended up falling for 350ft.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53So I was travelling pretty fast when I hit the ground.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58- You're lucky to be alive!- I am lucky to be alive. I broke a lot of bones,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03both legs, my jaw, cracked pelvis, cracked vertebrae.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Yes, it was very serious.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Blimey! It didn't put you off?
0:13:08 > 0:13:13Oh, yes, I didn't want to know about climbing for some time after that,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16but when I realised I was going to survive, I thought I might as well
0:13:16 > 0:13:18give it a go.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- Get back out there again. - Cos I still had the boots.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27And I went back to climbing again just over a year later.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Well, that's a real testament that after...- To my stupidity?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34..after going through all that and surviving, that you went back on to
0:13:34 > 0:13:38the mountains and... What sort of reaction do you get now from people
0:13:38 > 0:13:41that you're out and about on the hills again?
0:13:41 > 0:13:45A normal reaction is people say, "You shouldn't be doing that," or
0:13:45 > 0:13:47"You won't be able to do that,"
0:13:47 > 0:13:51but that's even more of a spur to me to do it, to do those things.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Good on you.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57MUSIC: Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Spending time on this ramble with Terry has been truly inspiring.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07He's overcome so much and shown me what a lot of willpower
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and a bit of WHEEL-power can do.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And from here, it's downhill all the way back to the car park!
0:14:14 > 0:14:17# Ain't no valley low enough
0:14:17 > 0:14:20# Ain't no river wide enough
0:14:20 > 0:14:22# To keep me from getting to you! #
0:14:23 > 0:14:27And if you fancy trying this or another of our walks,
0:14:27 > 0:14:28go to our website...
0:14:32 > 0:14:34It's got detailed route information
0:14:34 > 0:14:36and walking maps for you to print off,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40or you download it onto your tablet and take it with you.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44# Living on an island
0:14:46 > 0:14:49# Looking at another life
0:14:49 > 0:14:52# Waiting for my friend to come. #
0:14:52 > 0:14:56This is a place I've always wanted to come to, Skomer Island.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It's got hundreds and thousands of seabirds and I'm meeting
0:14:59 > 0:15:04the wildlife warden who's going to show me why this place is so special!
0:15:07 > 0:15:10To get to Skomer you have to catch a boat from Martin's Haven.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14The trip takes about 15 minutes and only runs between the beginning
0:15:14 > 0:15:18of April and the end of September, when the weather's good.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22You can't book in advance, so make sure you turn up early.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Skomer Island lies just a mile off the south coast of Pembrokeshire.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The walk starts where the boat drops you off,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33before you head inland to the old farmhouse.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Then it's a short walk north to the Garland Stone to
0:15:36 > 0:15:40look at the seals, before following the clifftop path to Skomer Head.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Next is the island's best
0:15:42 > 0:15:44wildlife spectacle, The Wick,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46with its enormous seabird colony
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and thousands of puffins.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Finally, it's on to the remains
0:15:50 > 0:15:51of an Iron Age settlement,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54before catching the boat to the mainland.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56All in all, a gentle walk
0:15:56 > 0:15:58of just under three and a half miles.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04My guide is Birgitta Bueche, the wildlife warden for Skomer.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Bee is originally from Germany
0:16:06 > 0:16:10and has lived on the island for three years with her husband, Ed.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Her job is to monitor and protect the birds
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and to look after visitors.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Hi, Bee.- Hello, Derek.- Lovely to meet you.- Yeah, lovely to meet you too.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21So, tell me, what's it like living on Skomer?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Absolutely stunning, amazing place to be.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27A real privilege to be here with the amazing amount of seabirds
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and the scenic views, so, yeah, really good.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Now, I don't know much about bird-watching
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- but you're going to give me a few tips.- Absolutely!
0:16:34 > 0:16:37I'll show you some birds and we've got these binoculars for you,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40- so you'll need those.- Thank you. Shall we go?- Yeah, absolutely!
0:16:42 > 0:16:45You don't have to walk far before you get your first close up
0:16:45 > 0:16:47wildlife experience.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Well, it's incredible, Bee, we're surrounded by puffins.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Yeah, North Haven is a really good place for them,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59so you've got some sitting down there on the rocky outcrops.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Yeah, we've got about 4,500 puffins breeding in this bay
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and all in all, about 21,000 on Skomer.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09So we're really lucky they're doing really well here.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12They're really cute, aren't they, with their orange-coloured beaks.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Yeah, they're absolutely amazing. That's why people love them,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- they're just like little clowns.- Are they quite friendly?- To be honest,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21they're quite feisty birds and the researchers, if they catch them to
0:17:21 > 0:17:24put rings and geo-locaters on the birds, they often come back with
0:17:24 > 0:17:28bloody hands. They've got really sharp claws and really sharp beaks.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- They've got to be careful.- They know how to defend themselves
0:17:31 > 0:17:33but they do look extremely cute.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36It's lovely to see them.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Yeah, it's great, it's a real privilege again.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Skomer has lots of well-mapped paths to follow
0:17:47 > 0:17:49but you have to stick to them.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52The island is honeycombed with burrows,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54with thousands of rabbits, puffins
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and other seabirds living underground.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Stray off the paths and you could hurt yourself and the wildlife.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- So what are these buildings here? - So this is a farm, what we call
0:18:06 > 0:18:10the Old Farm and nowadays it's a hostel where people can stay
0:18:10 > 0:18:13overnight, staff accommodation and volunteer accommodation.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18But it used to be a proper running farm. Until the 1940s, there were
0:18:18 > 0:18:21livestock here, they were growing potatoes, but actually the farming
0:18:21 > 0:18:23goes back many, many years.
0:18:23 > 0:18:265,000 years ago there was already farming here,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29with a population of around 200 people living
0:18:29 > 0:18:31here in the Bronze Age.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And we've got amazing Bronze Age and Iron Age remains on the island,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37one of the best in Britain, apparently.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40These days, how many visitors do you get here?
0:18:40 > 0:18:44On a good day we get up to 300 day-trippers and, all in all,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48throughout the year, we get about 15,000 people coming
0:18:48 > 0:18:50on day trips and we've got about 2,000-2,5000 people
0:18:50 > 0:18:52and staying in our hostel.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56If you want to go and see similar seabirds species and a similar
0:18:56 > 0:18:59number of seabirds, you have to go, like, up to Shetland
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and it's a long boat trip.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I get seasick, I've done it.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It's not very pleasant, but down here, ten minutes by boat and
0:19:06 > 0:19:09just off the coast of Pembrokeshire, so it's really accessible.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Probably one of the most accessible seabird colonies on the planet,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14I would say.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27So where are you from, Bee? Because that's not a Welsh accent.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31No, it's not, no, I'm German. I grew up in the southern part of Germany,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- so quite far away from the sea, actually.- So what brought you here?
0:19:35 > 0:19:39My husband, Ed. Well, in those days we weren't married, but I came to
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Britain, first to Norfolk,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and worked for Norfolk Wildlife Trust up in
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Norfolk and then we decided we would like to live and work together,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51so we applied for the Skomer job and got it and that was three years ago.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54So we've been here ever since.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59Not sure if I could live on an island but there are some amazing views.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01So where are we now?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04We're just coming to the Garland Stones, so that's a nice place
0:20:04 > 0:20:07to sit down and we can have a look out to sea and see whether we can
0:20:07 > 0:20:10spot some porpoise or maybe some seals.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Is that Ramsey Island over there?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Yeah, that's Ramsey, it's our neighbours.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Have a look down there and there's a group of seals.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- There's quite a few of them.- Yeah!
0:20:24 > 0:20:28The big one, the massive big one lying on its side, that's a male and
0:20:28 > 0:20:34then the little ones are youngsters, and the medium-sized ones,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37especially the spotty ones, those are the females.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40We get them also in North Haven, they're often quite a lot in
0:20:40 > 0:20:44North Haven and they do funny things like go and lie and in our boat.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48We've got a little inflatable boat, Zodiac, and we had a big massive
0:20:48 > 0:20:51bull seal lying in there a few years back, so it's good fun to watch them
0:20:51 > 0:20:53in North Haven as well.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- Well, the weather's changed again. - It has, yes.- I bet you've seen some
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- rough weather during your stay here. - Yeah, absolutely, in autumn time
0:21:13 > 0:21:16we get gale force 9s and stuff, so the chimneys rattle and
0:21:16 > 0:21:20the roof rattles and there are days where you can hardly go outdoors
0:21:20 > 0:21:24just because it's quite dangerous - you could be blown off a cliff.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So, yeah, and that's also one of the reasons why
0:21:27 > 0:21:31we leave the island at the beginning of December, because it gets
0:21:31 > 0:21:35really rough and we come back in March when the weather's better.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38MUSIC: Weather With You by Crowded House
0:21:46 > 0:21:51This is Skomer Head now and amazing scenery, very spectacular
0:21:51 > 0:21:53scenery, I think, on Skomer.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57On a nice summer day it actually looks like the Mediterranean.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Well, it doesn't feel very tropical today with this wind and drizzle.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05No, not very nice today but we'll go and see the seabirds -
0:22:05 > 0:22:07they don't mind a bit of wind and rain.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Luckily the wind and rain started to ease off, just as we reached
0:22:13 > 0:22:18Skomer's most amazing wildlife spectacle, a kind of seabird city.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25- Well, this is spectacular! What's it called?- This is the Wick, so this
0:22:25 > 0:22:28is our biggest sea cliff. It's a quarter of a mile long and it's
0:22:28 > 0:22:30got lots and lots of seabirds on it.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33So you've got the fulmars, which are little albatross,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36you've got the kittiwakes, which are amazing little gulls.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38They're the ones which you can hear in the distance.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41They say their own name, they go, "Kittiwake, kittiwake!"
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And then you've got the guillemots on there, 4,500 guillemots, and lots
0:22:44 > 0:22:45of razorbills as well.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So they are just as amazing seabirds as puffins
0:22:48 > 0:22:52and people should try and make an effort to see them as well.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55That's amazing how close we can actually get to the puffins -
0:22:55 > 0:22:57they come right up, don't they?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Of course, it's got our most accessible puffin colony on Skomer
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and people love it here
0:23:02 > 0:23:05because puffins are right next to the footpath.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Does that cause a problem with the visitors getting so close?
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Yeah, a little bit. Sometimes we get 250-300 people on a day and they
0:23:13 > 0:23:17line up here and they all want to take pictures, and puffins
0:23:17 > 0:23:20can't get to their chicks any more to feed them
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and you can see it's really, really fragile.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27If a burrow collapses you'll end up squashing a bird, injuring a bird.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30So, yeah, we try to get people to enjoy the rest of the island
0:23:30 > 0:23:34just as much as the Wick, but it is a site that everybody loves
0:23:34 > 0:23:35to come and visit.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56It's great to watch them and how they exhibit all different behaviours.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59You can see them billing, so the partners will be team-bonding,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03they'll be billing and they've got this funny head-jerking and opening
0:24:03 > 0:24:07of the beak when they're a bit annoyed with a neighbour, say.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10They show a bit of aggression sometimes as well.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- A real spectacle.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I could have watched the puffins for hours,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19but there are other things to watch on Skomer.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22So this is one of the roundhouses we were talking about earlier.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26In the Bronze Age and Iron Age there were people living on Skomer.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30They had cattle and livestock on here and this is one of it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35They would have these roundhouses. The wall would have been the bottom
0:24:35 > 0:24:38part of the house and on top would have been
0:24:38 > 0:24:40a wooden structure with reed.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Yeah, it's really interesting, lots of archaeology going on Skomer.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Most people go to Skomer for the day, but if you book
0:24:54 > 0:24:58in advance, you can stay overnight in the hostel on the island.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03The reason is another extraordinary seabird called the Manx shearwater.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Unfortunately, you have to stay up really late to see them.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14Bee, it's nearly midnight, I should be tucked up in bed having 40 winks.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16What are we doing?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Well, we have to go out at night if we want to see the Manx shearwaters
0:25:19 > 0:25:22coming back to the colonies, so that's what we'll do.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24We'll go and see some. We can hear some already.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26So why do they only come out at night?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29So they're really, really clumsy on land.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Basically, can't properly walk, they have difficulties lifting off
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and if they came in during the daytime then the gulls would
0:25:35 > 0:25:38eat them, especially great black backed gulls - they know they're
0:25:38 > 0:25:40defenceless and they go for them.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44So the only way of being able to feed their chicks safely is to
0:25:44 > 0:25:46come in when all the gulls are asleep.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- I think I can hear a few. Shall we go and see them?- Yeah, go on, let's go.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58First of all there was some other wildlife to get past.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06So we've got to be really careful. It's a rainy night and there are
0:26:06 > 0:26:08toads and frogs everywhere.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Just make sure you don't step on any.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12There's one, for example.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15- That's a toad, is it? - That's a toad, yeah.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20We get massive big frogs here. They're very amusing when they hop.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- I'd hate to step on one.- No, it wouldn't be nice, would it?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Oh, there he goes.- There's one.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33Frog.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40There you've got your first Manx shearwater.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45They just look really alien on land. I guess they feel alien on land
0:26:45 > 0:26:48because they hardly spend any time on land, only when they're breeding,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52otherwise they're out at sea all the time.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56They've got lovely little beaks and they've got tube noses, so elongated
0:26:56 > 0:27:01noses like the albatrosses have - same family like the albatrosses.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02You can see how a gull can pick that up.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04I mean, if you sit around like that...
0:27:04 > 0:27:06SHE LAUGHS
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- You're completely defenceless! - Yeah, completely defenceless.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10They'll just sit tight until we've left
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and then he'll find his burrow to feed his chick.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17The Manx shearwaters make a really odd sound.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19CHUCKLING WHEEZY CALL
0:27:21 > 0:27:24It's quite eerie as they fly around in the dark.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30And Skomer has the most Manx shearwaters in the world?
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Yeah, so it's 316,070 pairs,
0:27:33 > 0:27:38which is the largest colony on the planet.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40We have 50% of the world's population,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42so lots and lots of birds.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46They are very important, so if Skomer got rats on it or if there
0:27:46 > 0:27:51was a big oil spill around Skomer this species could even go extinct.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Yeah, so really important.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58The Manx shearwaters fly to Skomer across the South Atlantic,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02some from as far away as the Falklands.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05They can fly over five million miles in their lifetimes.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Watching the Manx shearwaters was one of the most unforgettable
0:28:11 > 0:28:14wildlife experiences I've ever had.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Isn't it fantastic that an amazing island like Skomer lies just
0:28:18 > 0:28:20a mile off the Welsh Coast?