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Series 12: 15. Aberystwyth to Newtown

Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael travels from Aberystwyth into the Cambrian Mountains at Devil’s Bridge and finishes in Newtown, Powys.\n\nIn the elegant coastal town of Aberystwyth, Michael visits the National Library of Wales, set high on a hill with views over Cardigan Bay. Michael hears how the idea of a repository for works in the Welsh language and an institution in which to preserve Welsh culture took shape and culminated, in 1937, in this prestigious institution. Michael is fascinated to see William Morgan’s Welsh translation of the Bible, published in 1588.\n\nAn unforgettable excursion on the Vale of Rheidol Railway takes Michael on a steep climb to Devil’s Bridge, past spectacular waterfalls and wooded hillsides.\n\nClose by, in the Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest, Michael heads for a lake, where magnificent birds of prey come to feed. At the time of his Bradshaw’s Guide, the red kite was close to extinction. But Wales’s favourite bird now thrives, and in order to keep it that way, astonishing numbers are fed here daily. Michael dares to lend a hand.\n\nHigh above Aberystwyth, Michael heads for a hilltop, where during the 1930s, amazing discoveries were made. At Pen Dinas, a young professor from Aberystwyth University dug deep below Roman remains and found an iron age settlement. Michael learns how archaeological methods have changed today.\n\nMichael’s 250-mile tour of north Wales draws to a close in style at the birthplace of the nation’s first classical music festival, Gregynog Hall, near Newtown. Michael is intrigued to discover that its founders, sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, used the fortune they inherited from their grandfather, a noted Welsh railway builder, to establish the country estate as a centre for art and music from 1933. In the glorious music room, a Welsh harpist helps to evoke the spirit of festivals past and present.

Source: BBC 2