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The Seven Wonders of Wales

Sean Fletcher introduces his 'seven wonders of Wales' - the mountains, hill farming, heritage, wildlife, castles, food and the coastline.

Sean Fletcher spells out what it is he loves so much about Wales, with his 'seven wonders of Wales' - the mountains, hill farming, heritage, wildlife, castles, food and the coastline. This final wonder is a particular favourite of Sean's, and he's not the only one to think that. So to celebrate its shoreline, Wales has chosen 2018 as its Year of the Sea. From the 870 miles of pathway that run the whole length of the coastline, many Welsh wonders can be seen. Sean journeys along Pembrokeshire's stretch of the Welsh Coastal Path. On the way,he flexes his Welsh language skills as he meets people who live and work on the path with tales to tell.

55 minutes

Strumble Head

Strumble Head

Sean starts his tour of the Welsh coast at Strumble Head, well known for its abundance of marine wildlife. 

On the lookout for dolphins and porpoises, Sean meets Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Warden, Phil Lees, who also tells him about Welsh naturalist Ronald Lockley.

He's famous for championing the natural beauty of this part of the Welsh coast that would later become the only part of the UK to be awarded National Park status based on its coastline alone. 

Hear Ronald Lockley

Skomer's Seals

Skomer's Seals

Less than a mile off the stunning Pembrokeshire coast lies Skomer Island, an island rich with wildlife. 

Best known for the puffins which breed and nest on the island over the warmer summer months, the island still has a lot to offer throughout the year.

Autumn is the time of year when grey seals give birth to their pups undisturbed on the island's secluded beaches. 

Ellie Harrison teams up with wildlife trust wardens to help survey the pups and see how they are faring.

Fishing the Coast

Fishing the Coast

Sean continues his journey along the Pembrokeshire coast arriving at St Justinian where he meets publican turned fisherman Jono Voyce.

He joins Jono on his boat for a fishing trip to catch crab and lobster. 

The Welsh waters are well known for quality shellfish but, as Sean discovers, the storms that affected the seals on Skomer last autumn had a big impact on the local fishing industry as well.

Conwy Mussels

Conwy Mussels

Matt visits the Conwy estuary and explores the ancient tradition of Conwy mussel fishing. 

He meets Ken Hughes, a member of one of only four families still collecting mussels in the area. 

Ken describes the back-breaking work involved in his near 70-year career before Matt heads out onto the water with current mussel fisherman Tom Jones. 

Matt is taught the traditional hand-raking method, where mussels are collected from the estuary bed.

Snowdon Race

Snowdon Race

Llanberis is a small village intrinsically linked with the mountain on its doorstep, Snowdon, ever since the mountain railway opened in 1896.  

The connection between the mountain and village life was further cemented in 1976 when local man, Ken Jones, wondered just how quickly a person could run to the summit and back. That was the birth of the first Snowdon Race. 

Today the race continues to go from strength to strength and, with only a few months to go until the big day, John discovers what it takes to complete this gruelling challenge...

Dinefwr Castle

Dinefwr Castle

Adam’s father Joe Henson helped rescue a herd of White Park cattle in the 1970s and these rare breed animals have had a home on the farm ever since.

Adam has always believed it was the Romans that introduced them to the UK, but was it? 

To find out more about the breed’s heritage, Adam visits Dinefwr Castle where they have farmed White Parks for more than a thousand years.

Welsh Cakes

Welsh Cakes

Wales is famous for its culinary classics like cawl, Welsh rarebit and Welsh cakes but foodies Becky Hood and Thea Noble felt their favourite childhood recipes had fallen out of fashion. 

So in a bid to put traditional Welsh cuisine back on the map the pair decided to reinvent some classic recipes. 

Sean meets Becky and Thea in their horsebox-turned-kitchen to sample their take on the humble Welsh cake.

Lambassador

Lambassador

Every mum deserves a treat on Mother’s Day, but how about a nomination for an MBE as an ultimate show of respect? 

That’s what John Tilley did for his 76-year-old mum Daphne for her services to agriculture. 

Matt spends a day with Daphne on the family farm as we discover just how Daphne became a ‘Lambassador’ for Wales.


Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Sean Fletcher
Executive Producer William Lyons
Series Producer Joanna Brame

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