The Welsh Coast

Season 17 · 2019 · 8 episodes

Episodes

1Beaumaris to Red Wharf BayWeatherman Derek Brockway launches the series by firing the starting cannon at the Beaumaris Regatta on Anglesey. His 14-mile walk then takes him into the town’s heavily fortified castle and on to the Welsh Coast Path, towards Red Wharf Bay. He crosses the beach with its fascinating selection of rocks and mooring stakes, to join the Beaumaris Rowing Club. Walking on, Derek visits the hamlet of Penmon with its ancient well, priory and dovecot, and heads on to the photogenic Trwyn Du, or Black Nose lighthouse, with views over Puffin Island. The walk then turns inland for a couple of miles before arriving at a new stretch of coastal path opened in 2018. Derek chats to a group known as the Silver Slashers, who help to keep the pathways clear. In Traeth Coch, or Red Wharf Bay, he meets an amateur photographer who specialises in night-time landscapes and natural phenomena like bioluminescence.
2Saundersfoot to Pendine SandsWeatherman Derek Brockway starts his walk in the pretty seaside town of Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire and ends up on Pendine Sands in Carmarthenshire, famous for land-speed records. On his way, he discovers the area's mining and military history, meets Amroth’s oldest resident and is serenaded by the Tenby Male Voice Choir.
3Abersoch to PwllheliWeatherman Derek Brockway explores the Llyn Peninsula, walking from the pretty resort town of Abersoch to bustling Pwllheli. On the way, he discovers hoofprints made in a prehistoric forest millions of years ago, but only recently revealed in shifting sands, and stops off at a special retirement village where a little bit of Poland has been recreated in north Wales.
4Fall Bay to OxwichWeatherman Derek Brockway is on Gower, ignoring the most popular walks to discover some hidden gems. His route takes him from Fall Bay to Oxwich. On the way he tries abseiling, ‘weasleing’, tolling a church bell, foraging for seaweed and hears stories of smugglers.
5Ynyslas to Aberystwyth, Cardigan BayDerek Brockway’s walk in Cardigan Bay has something for everyone. For the first half, he explores one of Britain’s oldest and largest raised bogs. His route then takes him to a unique railway museum filled with nostalgia, and he also discovers the legend of Cantre’s Gwaelod at Sarn Cynfelyna, which stretches an incredible 11 kms out to sea. He finishes at the university town of Aberystwyth with its Victorian cliff-top pleasure park. Derek also has a go at paddling-boarding - which has its challenges.
6Talacre to RhylDerek Brockway’s in Flintshire, at the most northerly point of mainland Wales. He starts off at the site of the Point of Ayr Colliery, where he meets John Wiltshire, passionate about keeping the memory of the mine alive. Derek also lends a hand, helping endangered species in the sand dunes, and little terns who nest on the beach just over the Denbighshire border. In ‘Sunny Rhyl’ he learns to kitesurf and do the surfers’ shaka.
7Abereiddy to WhitesandsDerek Brockway is in Pembrokeshire with its majestic cliffs, feeling what it is like to be exposed to the elements. He is thrilled to peek at seal pups along the way, learns how to train a sheepdog, builds a stone wall and helps to create a unique sand circle.
8Porthcawl to SoutherndownThe final episode in the series and Derek Brockway is in the Vale of Glamorgan on a walk of contrasts. On his journey he takes part in a lifeboat challenge, walks a guide dog puppy, sledges down a spectacular sand dune, rides a horse on Ogmore beach and fishes off the rocks. He’s also joined by a group of women walkers who end the series toasting marshmallows on the beach in the shadow of one of Wales’ most stunning rock formations.