Am Dro! returns to screens tonight
Stephen Price
The latest episode of Am Dro! airs tonight on S4C, showcasing some of Wales’ most scenic walks including Llangrannog, New Quay, Llyn y Fan Fach and Eryri.
Tonight’s episode of the much loved series will see a familiar face to Nation.Cymru readers, as Eifion Rogers takes a trip to Llyn y Fan Fach.
Eifion has contributed articles to Nation.Cymru over the past few years – most famously as part of his quest to bring Welsh folklore to new and younger audiences with his beautifully illustrated card game featuring characters from Welsh mythology.
In tonight’s episode, we will also get to follow Alys as she takes the group on a walk along the coastal path to Llangrannog.
Meriel will take us on a trip around beautiful New Quay, and Gareth leads the group to the top of Moel Eilio in Eryri.
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Am Dro! translates as For A Walk! The series has become a mainstay on S4C, proving popular with English and Welsh speaking audiences thanks to its subtitles.
“No ordinary walk”
Each episode sees four lovers of the coast and countryside battle it out to have their favourite Welsh walking trail immortalised in the S4C walk of fame – with each entrant giving a score of ten for each walk before the ultimate winner’s walk is revealed at the end of each episode.
The programme description says: “Ry’n ni’r Cymry yn genedl o gerddwyr a phawb a’i hoff lwybr. Ond nid mynd am dro hamddenol wnawn ni fan hyn – cystadleuaeth waco yw hon!”
That means: “The Welsh love to walk and we all have our favourite path. But this is no ordinary walk. Oh no, this is a competition!”
Ideal show for learners
Popular Welsh learning blog, Liz Learns Welsh reflects many new Welsh speakers’ experiences of learning much about Wales, the culture and the language from the series, writing: “I wanted to start watching some TV in Welsh, but with so many programmes to choose from, it was tricky to know where to begin.
“I decided to go with a recommendation from a classmate for Am Dro! The name translates as For A Walk!
“My first impression was that it’s a little bit like Come Dine With Me, but for walkers. The contestants give each other marks out of 10 for the route, scenery, history and even packed lunches!
Challenge
Liz added: “Am Dro! is in the “programmes for Welsh learners” (rhaglenni i ddysgwyr) category. As an entry learner, I’ve found it ideal vocab-wise – talking about everyday activities, the weather and other people.
“Each episode is around 50 minutes long and you can watch with Welsh or English subtitles. I’ve tried both, depending on how much I’m feeling like a challenge!
“Am Dro! is a light-hearted and entertaining mix of hiking, spectacular scenery, local history and personal stories.
“Now I’m off to plan my next walk…”
Am Dro hits S4C at 8pm tonight (8 December) and will also be available to stream on S4C Clic and iPlayer where you can also find previous episodes.
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