Snowdonia: A Year on the Farm

It's winter in Snowdonia. As storms batter the mountains of north Wales, five farming families battle the elements to rear their animals as they prepare for a year like no other.

On the slopes of Cadair Idris, husband and wife Ken and Lisa Markham are gathering their flock of Welsh mountain sheep into the pens, but with the wind and rain beating down, herding their animals is challenging work for them and their team of trusty sheepdogs.

Near the village of Ysbyty Ifan, 24-year-old Beca Roberts works alongside her father Glyn and her mother Eleri. She's the fourth of five children but the only one working on the family farm. They're preparing the shed ready for lambing and cleaning out the sty for Beca's pet pig.

On the other side of the valley is Guto Davies with his wife Yvonne and their three young children. Guto is also preparing his farm for some new arrivals - his herd of heifers should be giving birth to calves any day. Guto has spent his life in this valley and is immensely proud of his community.

A stone's throw from Bala, Geraint Davies is doing his early morning rounds and checking on his herd of cattle as they shelter from the storms. Today he's got two little helpers in tow, his daughters Kiti and Betsi. The morning routine is a daily juggling act for Geraint and his wife Rachel as they try to get the kids off to school.

On the exposed hillside above Llanuwchllyn, third-generation farmer Rhodri Jones works alongside his 82-year-old father Llew. They're giving their small flock of pedigree Suffolk sheep a health check. He may have handed over responsibility to his son but even in his 80s, Llew is still hands on with the livestock. The Jones recently welcomed the next generation on to the farm, Rhodri and Claire's two-year-old son Wil.

This time of year is all about preparation and a few of the farmers are scanning their ewes to discover how many lambs they're carrying and what their year ahead might look like. However, as Britain leaves the EU, there's a lot of uncertainty about the future, and a bad deal could have a serious impact on our farmers.

It's lambing season in Snowdonia but as Covid-19 spreads across the world, Wales is in lockdown. The five farming families are left to film themselves during one of the busiest times of year.

For the farmers of Eryri, spring means the joy of seeing new life arrive on the farms and in the fields. Their flocks of Welsh mountain sheep will all lamb within just a few weeks and many of the cattle are also in calf. It means long hours and lots of hard work for the families.

As summer arrives in Snowdonia, it's time for the farmers to gather their sheep off the mountain slopes ready for shearing. With a lot of livestock to round up and much ground to cover, a team of good dogs and good shepherds is vital.
Ken and Lisa Markham leave their own farm behind to help Ken's cousin Wil gather his sheep as they do every year. It's a favour that will be returned later in the season. It's wild and rugged terrain, too steep for quad bikes, so the only way to round up the flock is on foot with a gang of good sheepdogs.
Times are changing though, and other gathers now use technology to speed things up. Near Bala, Geraint Davies is helping to gather sheep on a large estate belonging to a local landowner. With the weather setting in, the race is on to gather the sheep, and quad bikes allow the shepherds and their dogs to cover a lot of ground quickly.
Near Ysbyty Ifan, young farmer Beca Glyn is also gathering. She needs to round up a small gang of ewes who are being sent to Anglesey. Fortunately for Beca, she has the help of her trusty sheepdog Bruce, her cousin Elin, and her young dog Bess. For all, it's a chance to work on their skills and get the job done.
On Cadair Idris, the day of the Markham's big gather arrives. They have around 800 sheep to round up from across the steep slopes of one of Wales' most impressive peaks. Ken and Lisa have called on plenty of helpers from the local community, including cousin Wil and their old friend Goronwy who has been gathering these slopes for longer than Ken's been alive. Teamwork, experience, and top-quality sheepdogs pay off, and a hard day's work means a well-earned feast for the shepherds.

It's the height of summer in Snowdonia and, for hill farmers, that means shearing time. It's an important job but also a chance for families and friends working and living Eryri to come together.
Near Ysbyty Ifan, Beca Glyn and her family load their trailer to head up to the mountain where they shear their flock. Helping out is Beca's cousin Meredur a super-star shearer who travels the world with his trade. Beca hasn't picked up a set of shears in a few years but she's determined to improve her skills.
Geraint Davies has hired in old friend Hywel, an old friend and specialist shearer to lend a hand. He's not the only helper though. Geraint's young daughters Kiti and Betsi are always keen to be involved, so are tasked with rolling up the fleeces. But, like most things in farming, there's a knack which the girls will have to master if they want to become pro-shearers.
For Guto Davies, shearing day on his farm is very much a family affair with three generations helping out today. Guto's father Gwyn will corral the sheep, his brother Robin leads the shear, and his four-year old son Math is getting stuck in too. In farming land, livestock and traditions are handed from one generation to the next, something Guto and his brother know well.
In the hills above Llanuwchllyn, Rhodri Jones has been busy shearing his flock too. With all the ewes and lambs done, the final job of the day is shearing the two pedigree Suffolk rams. But these are big animals with bad tempers, so Rhodri has his work cut out as he wrestles the rams.

With summer making way for autumn, the farmers of Eryri begin to reap the fruits of their labour as they send their livestock to market and prepare for the winter months.
On the slopes of Cadair Idris, husband and wife team Ken and Lisa Markham are rounding up their ram lambs. A local livestock buyer is coming to select the cream of the Markham's crop. The money made from selling these lambs will be the first major income raised from the farm for months.
Near Bala, Geraint Davies is sorting his lambs ready to be sent to the abattoir. His biggest lambs will end up on supermarket shelves across the UK, but some of his lighter lambs will exported to mainland Europe, a market that could be at risk post-Brexit.
Not all the animals sold from the farms will end up on people's plates, in Llanuwchllyn Rhodri Jones is preparing his prize rams ready for auction. These boys aren't sold for food, but for breeding, with farmers prepared to pay big bucks for the best rams. To make sure his rams fetch a good
price, Rhodri and his wife Claire give their rams the full salon experience.
Whilst the other farmers are preparing to send livestock away, Beca Glyn is attempting to bring her cattle home. They've been grazing on good quality grass on Anglesey for several months but now it's time for them to come back to the warmth of the farm sheds. Beca and her father Glyn need to get a few dozen steers to get on to a trailer, but these cattle have other ideas.
Back near Ysbyty Ifan, Guto Davies is tending to his highland cattle. This herd are part of a plan to help improve an important natural habitat. Guto is convinced that with schemes like this livestock farmers can do their bit to battle climate change.

Winter is around the corner and for the Snowdonia farmers it's time to look back on one extraordinary year and start planning for the next when the farming calendar begins again.