Iolo Williams to explore four Welsh river valleys in new series

Iolo Williams is exploring four of Wales’ stunning river valleys in a brand new BBC series.

Travelling from sea to source, he’ll be uncovering the hidden stories and natural wonders of the Rheidol Valley, the Dyfi Valley, the Conwy Valley and the Vale of Clwyd.

The beautiful landscapes of the four valleys are home to some of Wales’ incredible wildlife, including some very special species.

Throughout the series, Iolo will be met with sightings of rare birds and elusive mammals, from the UK’s smallest bird of prey, a merlin, to a rare glimpse of an animal which was at one point believed extinct, the pine marten.

And for the first time in years, wild beavers are spotted in the Dyfi Valley, treating Iolo to an unforgettable encounter with his first wild beaver in Wales.

Encounter

Iolo’s River Valleys is a four-part BBC Cymru Wales series, produced by Aden, coming to BBC Two, BBC One Wales and iPlayer from Tuesday 6 May.

The series was produced and directed by Osian Griffiths and the executive producer is John Gwyn.

Building on the success of your previous series exploring Wales’ valleys, what makes this new series different?

Iolo: “For the first time we’re following four different rivers. We usually confine the series to specific areas but this time we took four different rivers and follow the river valleys from sea to source.

“I thought I knew Wales quite well, but one or two of these river valleys I hadn’t explored for a very long time.”

What makes the river valleys of Wales so special?

Iolo: “People moan that it rains a lot in Wales, but it’s because of that rain that we have such stunning river valleys, streams and waterfalls.

“Each and every one of them has a different character and each and every one of them is beautiful from source down to sea.”

‘Amazing’

Do you have a favourite river valley of the four you visited?

Iolo: “That’s a really difficult one! If you’d asked me before we looked at them, I would have said the Dyfi, but then I think of the Conwy, and that’s amazing from Llyn Conwy and the moorlands down to Conwy Castle.

“Then you’ve got the Rheidol, a beautiful river which drops down very quickly from source to sea. And the Clwyd, which is the one I knew the least, this has some really hidden gems.

“I don’t think I can pick a favourite, I really enjoyed every single one of them.”

What was your favourite moment from the series?

“The real big moment was when I saw my first ever wild beaver in Wales. This was a real highlight, not just of the series, but of my 27 years working within TV. A real highlight.

“I wasn’t actually expecting to see one. The researchers had done their work and they’d said there were rumours to be wild beaver, and I knew myself that there were rumours of wild beavers in one or two locations as well.

“We went out and we had a look one evening, and the weather wasn’t great, we didn’t see anything. But then we went out again when the rain had cleared up and sure enough there it was, this beaver, eating Japanese knotweed of all things.

“I’ll be honest, nobody knows where the beaver has come from, they’ve been there for about two years, possibly three and it’s quite well known locally. But I’m absolutely delighted because this is an animal that we should have back in the wild.

“There was also the pine marten out in daylight as I wasn’t expecting this. I’ve seen a pine marten before in Wales but only at night. To be sat in the hide in daylight just watching a pine marten is enthralling. It’s another one of the highlights of my wildlife watching career. I’ve achieved a childhood ambition.”

Curlew

What were some of the other wildlife highlights from the series?

Iolo: “When we started our journey on the Conwy out on the estuary, opposite the castle, there was a migrant bird, a small curlew called a whimbrel, usually they’re quite shy of people and they won’t come near you, but this one just fed within 10-15 meters of us.

“We watched it for ages, just feeding and probing in the mud. That was an unexpected highlight, really unexpected.

“On the Clwyd, adjacent to Rhyl where it runs into the sea, there’s a little reserve there, it’s a small dune area, and I thought there’s going to be nothing here but we had basking lizards, common lizards, there. And Skylarks, flying up above, which was amazing when  we were surrounded by houses and factories and busy roads.

“That was lovely. And for the first time, at the other end of the Clwyd, we had some red squirrels in Clocaenog Forest.

“Now I’ve seen red squirrels in Wales before in Anglesey and when I was a young lad in Lake Vyrnwy, and we still had them there then, but this is the first time I’ve seen them in Clocaenog, having looked for them many a time.”

What was your most surprising find?

Iolo: “It was the beaver without a shadow of a doubt. There were a couple of real standouts. But the beaver topped everything.”

When was the series filmed and do you have a favourite time of the year?

Iolo: “We filmed the series between April and October last year, we wanted to capture each of the river valleys in spring, summer and autumn, as the wildlife changes across the seasons.

“In the Conwy Valley we wanted to do something on fungi, an amazing group of creatures. And we filmed one in a beechwood above the Conwy in the autumn, and the leaves looked spectacular; golden, yellow, red and bronze. It’s important to capture the essence of every season across the valleys.”

Iolo: “My favourite season is early spring, around now really, in April and early May. When the blossoms are out, when the leaves are bursting into life, when the birds are singing.

“Everything is waking up from a long winter, so that’s my favourite. Although, I hasten to add that I do like the autumn colours as well.”