Original subtitles

(wind howling)

(bright music)

(contemplative music)

- [Narrator] Our journey starts in the heart of North Wales.

At the historic town of Ruthin.

From the ruins of the medieval Denbigh Castle

we fly along the golden beaches and resort towns

of the North Coast.

At Conwy Bay, we fly southwest

and pass the largest slate quarry in Wales

before before heading towards the Menai Strait,

a narrow sea channel that separates the Isle of Anglesey

from the mainland.

From Caernarfon Castle, the ceremonial seat

of the Prince of Wales we end our journey

with a spectacular flight through the mountains and valleys

of Snowdonia.

Finishing at the highest peak in Wales, Mount Snowdon.

Today, the northern region of Wales

is the least inhabited part of the country.

(birds calling)

But behind this peaceful and tranquil landscape

lies a long and often violent history.

Because it was these mountains and valleys

that were once the last line of defense

for independent Wales as it defended itself

against the might of the English Army.

And to this day, North Wales remains a center

of the Welsh language and a symbol for Welsh national

and cultural identity.

Throughout North Wales are constant reminders

of the war with neighboring England over 700 years ago.

Like the ruins of Ruthin Castle,

built on the orders of the English King, Edward I

to quell any local uprisings.

Among the grim remains are the whipping pit

and drowning pool.

Much later in the 1800s,

the ruins were incorporated into this large mock-castle,

now a luxury hotel.

It overlooks the medieval market town of Ruthin

and the picturesque hills of Clwyd Valley.

(pensive music) In North Wales,

castle ruins are in abundance.

These are the ruins of the once-mighty Denbigh Castle.

When Edward I, also know as The Warrior King,

conquered these lands in the 1200s,

he set about creating a whole array of castles

to encircle and subdue the Welsh

as well as protect English settlers.

But these measures weren't sufficient

to suppress numerous rebel attacks on Denbigh.

The most ferocious was the revolt of 1400

when the town was ravaged and burnt down.

To the north and set among lush rolling hills

is the city of St. Asaph.

(verbose choral music) ♪ Ah ♪

- [Narrator] Which claims to have the smallest

ancient cathedral in Britain.

Just 55 meters long and 20 meters wide.

Despite its size, this 13th century cathedral

plays one of the most important roles

in the history of Wales.

It's home of the 1558 Welsh translation of the "Bible"

which helped standardize the language.

♪ Ah ♪

- [Narrator] Today, around one in five

of Wales three million population speaks Welsh.

(contemplative music)

It's not far to the coast Point of Ayr,

the very northern tip of Wales.

Point of Ayr is also the name given to the lighthouse here

which is the oldest lighthouse in Wales.

Erected in 1776, and inactive since 1844,

it stands on Talacre Beach as a great historic landmark.

Its remote and windswept setting

has lent itself to stories of a ghostly lighthouse keeper

who watches from the lantern room.

(gull calling)

Locals say the ghost is of a former keeper named Raymond

who died of a fever and a broken heart.

(waves lapping)

(gentle music)

East along the coast is the seaside resort of Prestatyn.

It became a popular holiday destination in the 1900s

with the arrival of the railways.

Visiting for a bathe in the clean waters

was considered a very healthy activity

by city-dwelling Victorians.

Today with its extensive caravan parks,

Prestatyn remains a resort town.

But the decline of British holiday-makers

means the town has had to diversify

as a regional shopping destination.

Downturn in tourism

is a story that's echoed across other resort towns

along this coast.

Like its much larger neighbor, Rhyl.

Rhyl had long been popular with people all over Wales

and Northwest England.

But the 1970s saw cheap jet-travel

and a boom in holidays abroad

which proved disastrous for the town.

By the 1990s the area declined dramatically.

Leading to job losses as well as a rise in crime

and social problems.

Rhyl's once-famous Funfair is now mostly demolished

and awaiting redevelopment.

And there's even uncertainty

over the resort's famous landmark, the Sky Tower,

with it's elevating and rotating observation platform.

More recently, a series of regeneration projects

have been attracting investment,

including funding from the European Union.

Rhyl lies on the mouth of the Clwyd

which was a crucial stretch of water

for the medieval English ruler Edward I.

Following his victory over the Welsh in 1277,

he employed almost a thousand men

to straighten this five kilometer stretch of river

for supply barges to reach his headquarters

at Rhuddlan Castle.

(dramatic music)

With its massive walls, towers, and gatehouses,

it served to intimidate as well as protect.

The fortress survived well against a major Welsh uprising.

But it was eventually destroyed some 300 years later

in the Civil War of 1646

and was left to decay.

Since 1947 conservation work has been carried out

to preserve this great architectural heritage.

(gentle piano music)

A more intact castle lies just to the south.

The 15th century Bodelwyddan Castle,

despite its name and defensive towers,

was designed first and foremost as a grand manor house

that alluded to wealth, status, and heritage.

It was the home of the prominent Welsh family, the Williams

for around 200 years

until they fell on hard times in the 1850s.

During the First World War,

the house was used as recuperation hospital

and parts of the grounds were used to carry out exercises

for newly recruited soldiers.

The pits and trenches that were dug to use

for training the young men to fight in the Great War

can still be seen today.

Bodelwyddan is now owned by Heritage Trust

which has developed the building and grounds

as a museum, gallery, and visitor attraction.

(contemplative music)

Back along the coast is possibly the most picturesque

and romantic castle ruin in the whole of Wales,

Gwrych Castle.

This fairytale castle with its 18 towers

might at first glance

seem like it's seen centuries of battle.

But in fact it's the victim of decades of neglect.

Gwrych Castle was completed in the 1820s

at the height of the Gothic Revival movement

which brought back medieval styles and forms.

Originally a family residence,

it changed hands several times.

During World War II the government used the castle

to house 200 Jewish refugees.

For many years it hosted public and private events

but gradually it fell into disrepair.

Largely neglected, it was extensively looted

and vandalized as well as damaged by fire

reducing its former glory to a shell.

Though it seems quite derelict now,

Gwrych is actually a listed building.

But the staggering amount it would cost

to restore the castle means that its future

remains uncertain.

Flying west, we join the Conwy River,

famed for its salmon and trout fishing.

(gentle guitar music)

And on it's banks

lies one of the most important gardens in the world,

Bodnant.

Begun in 1875, four successive generations

of the Aberconway family created this garden

from seeds and cuttings collected from expeditions

in China, North America, Europe, and Japan.

The upper part around the house

consists of the splendid Italian-style terraces and lawns

laid out in the early 1900s.

The lower part is formed by the valley

of the River Hiraethlyn and contains the wild garden.

In 1949, the Aberconways persuaded the National Trust

to accept the gardens at Bodnant into its care

though the house remains with the Aberconway family

who still live here.

The River Conwy winds its way north to the Irish Sea.

(serene music)

The mouth of the Conwy as it discharges into Conwy Bay

is a real historic focal point.

Two of Britain's greatest feats of 19th century engineering

lie side by side.

The first ever tubular iron bridge by Robert Stevenson

as well as Thomas Telford's suspension bridge,

one of the first of its kind.

And looming over the bridges is the great testament

to medieval architecture, Conwy Castle.

Built to quell the Welsh rebellion,

it was so impregnable that the whole fortress

could be guarded by just 30 men.

But the walls that still surround the town

are a reminder that not even this castle

was a deterrent against Welsh attacks.

At the mouth of the Conwy estuary

is a 200 meter rocky headland known as the Great Orme.

Around the middle of the 19th century

it contained the biggest copper mine in Europe

with six kilometers of tunnels.

At its base is Llandudno whose history is probably shared

with the ancient copper mines.

But today, Llandudno is the largest

and most popular seaside resort in Wales.

It was specifically developed as a holiday destination

back in the 1850s when there was a growing demand

for seaside holidays.

It was soon dubbed The Queen of Welsh Resorts.

As well as a railway line, an ambitious pier

was constructed to serve as a port.

However, it was damaged in one of the worst-ever storms

in British history and was never fully rebuilt

to its original length.

Even so, it still stands as the longest pier in Wales

and its 700 meter promenade remains

one of Llandudno's top leisure attractions.

(mysterious music)

Further inland are these lush hills

that have been inhabited for over 200,000 years.

Going back to the Neanderthals.

Human activity over the millennia

has left wealth of prehistoric remains

throughout North Wales.

And one of the finest are these stones

dating back to the Bronze Age.

Known as Druid Circle,

it was once a place for rituals and human sacrifice.

Further archeological evidence suggests

that 5000 years ago this area was also

one of the most important stone ax manufacturing sites

in Britain.

Not far, in the mountainous uplands,

is another stoneworks from a more recent era.

The Penrhyn Slate Quarry.

(gentle piano music)

It is the largest slate quarry in Britain

at over one and a half kilometers long

and 370 meters deep.

Today, it has a workforce of around 200.

But in its heyday, it was worked by nearly 3000 quarrymen.

By the end of the 19th century, this was the largest

and most productive slate quarry in the world.

It was owned from the 18th century

by the English Pennant family

and the quarry rapidly developed

as the dominant industry in North Wales,

typically producing over 100,000 tons

of purple slate a year.

Around the turn of the 19th century,

there was a tremendous drive to meet demand.

This led to bitter disputes between the company and workers

over better pay and safer conditions.

Several acrimonious strikes took place.

The longest lasting three years.

The profits from the quarry were vast

and the sheer extravagance and lifestyle

of the nearby English owners

must have gone down poorly with the Welsh quarrymen.

The wealth generated by the slate mining

enabled the Pennant family to build this impressive house,

Penrhyn Castle.

This grand country residence was built in the style

of a Norman fortress,

as was the fashion among the rich and powerful

in the 19th century.

It's one of many such castles built from that time

but Penrhyn is one of the most admired.

In 1951 the castle and its 160 square kilometers of land

was handed to the government in exchange for death taxes.

Today it's cared for by the National Trust

and is open to the public.

From a mock castle built for comfort

to one that was designed for warfare 600 years earlier.

Beaumaris Castle, set on the Isle of Anglesey

looks out over the narrow strait

that separates it from the mainland.

(pensive music)

Having conquered Wales,

the 13th century English king, Edward I

planned Beaumaris to be his most formidable fortress,

with no expense spared.

Work started in 1295 and continued for 35 years

with over three and a half thousand workmen

employed at the peak of construction.

As well as a moat and numerous arrow slits,

the entrances were protected by holes

from which hot oil could be pored over the enemy.

But finances and materials eventually ran out

when King Edward turned his attention

to the wars in Scotland

and the castle was never completed.

Today, this extraordinary abandoned building site

stands as part of a World Heritage Collection

of military architecture in North Wales.

Back on the opposite shore on the Menai Strait

is Bangor, one of only six cities in Wales.

Today it has a population of around 20,000 people

but for centuries it was a town with only two streets.

Bangor remained that way until the 1700s

when it was made part of the main route

for postal traffic between London and Dublin.

From then on it grew from a sleepy market town

to an important industrial and commercial harbor.

Bangor also became the center of higher education

when the first university in North Wales

opened its doors in 1884.

Its main building was completed in 1911, to much acclaim,

and today stands as one of Bangor's imposing landmarks.

The city lies on the banks of the Menai Strait,

a narrow sea channel separating the mainland

with the fertile farmlands of Anglesey Island.

This 25 kilometer stretch of the Irish Sea

has played an important role in the history of Wales.

2000 years ago, it was the last defense

of the Ancient Britons against the Roman Army.

In the 19th century,

at the height of the Industrial Revolution,

the Menai Strait was the last obstacle

before the sea crossing to the Irish capital, Dublin.

The need to transport

tremendous quantities of goods and materials

resulted in extraordinary feats of engineering,

like Thomas Telford's revolutionary suspension bridge.

When it was completed in 1826,

it had the longest span of any suspension bridge

in the world.

And set at the other end of the Menai Strait

is yet another great fortress

that has been standing here for over seven centuries,

Caernarfon Castle.

(majestic music)

Edward I of England wanted to create a royal seat of power

that would serve as a symbol of English dominance

over the Welsh.

Proclaimed the Welsh capitol, Caernarfon was built

with grand accommodation intended for future royals

who would control Wales and its income.

One famous story is that King Edward,

in order to appease the Welsh,

had promised a prince born in Wales,

who did not speak a word of English.

Keeping his pledge, the king produced a son

born within these walls, who being a baby,

couldn't yet speak a word of English,

or any other language for that matter.

Ever since then, it's been a tradition

for the title of Prince of Wales

to be given to the eldest son of the English monarch.

Coronation has always taken place here at Caernarfon Castle.

Today the title is held by Prince Charles,

son of Elisabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.

This mighty castle is dwarfed by the mountain range

at the heart of North Wales, Snowdonia.

This 2000 square kilometer national park

has been shaped by volcanoes and glaciers

over hundreds of millions of years.

Today this dramatic landscape

is home to many protected species of plants,

birds, and mammals. (sheep bleating)

Snowdonia is also one of the wettest parts

of the British Isles.

But this doesn't deter the six million visitors a year

who are drawn to this spectacular and mystical place.

(vocalizing)

The Welsh storytelling tradition

places numerous myths and legends in Snowdonia,

including the best known, Arthur, King of all Britons

whose final battle is said to have taken place here,

brought down by a hail of arrows.

And some stories claim that Lake Ogwen

is the final resting place of Excalibur,

Arthur's magical sword.

The Snowdonia National Park

takes its name from Mount Snowdon.

The highest peak in England and Wales.

It's a long-extinct volcano.

The summit is well over 1000 meters high

and boasts some of the best views in Britain.

The peak can be reached by a number of paths

as well as the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

(engine chuffing)

It carries tourists seven kilometers

up and down the mountain.

The railway dates back to 1896

and these narrow-gauge steam and diesel locomotives

were the original inspiration for Reverend W. Awdry's

famous children's stories, Thomas the Tank Engine

and Friends.

In total, around 350,000 people a year

get to the top of Snowdon by foot or by rail.

Mount Snowdon has been described

as probably the busiest mountain in Britain

and one of the most popular attractions in North Wales.

(vocalizing)

And as the sun sets over Snowdonia

the landscape is bathed in a color

that's reminiscent of the red dragon that was in legend

trapped in a cave beneath these mountains.

Eventually released by King Arthur's wizard Merlin,

the creature was to become the eternal symbol

of the land and its people, the red dragon of Wales.

It's a magical tale and a perfect place

to end this journey.

(serene music)

(whooshing