Weatherman Walking

Showing as part of the BBC Wales Real Valleys season. Derek Brockway takes two walks in the south Wales valleys, both bursting with history and natural splendour. From Pontypridd he follows the pilgrim route to the shrine at Penrhys and in the Afan valley tries out the world-famous mountain bike trail. Derek's guide to Penrhys is historian Madeleine Gray, the leading expert on pilgrimages in Wales. She explains that in medieval times pilgrimages needn't take months but could be like weekend mini-breaks. The excursion to Penrhys was one of the most popular in Britain, going past the mining village of Ynysybwl and the pretty church at Llanwonno before ending with a fearsome climb up the steep hill to Penrhys. Accompanying Derek in the Afan valley are local couple Ralph and Elaine Jones. Now retired, both are very active in the area, Elaine in nature conservation, Ralph on the celebrated mountain bike trail, which he helped to develop. First Elaine takes Derek to Pontrhydyfen, birthplace of Richard Burton, before heading up the valley to a magical Japanese garden. Then Ralph takes over, giving Derek a crash course in mountain biking. Finally they cross the River Afan to enjoy the valley's spectacular woodland scenery.

Derek looks back at his favourite valleys walks taking in beautiful paths in the Rhondda Valley and Merthyr Tydfil. To help celebrate the BBC Wales Real Valleys season, Derek Brockway dips into the Weatherman Walking archives to choose his top two walks in the South Wales Valleys. His first pick is a wonderfully wild walk through beautiful Blaencwm in the Rhondda Valleys, followed by a fascinating route around the old industrial areas around Merthyr Tydfil and up into the hills beyond.

Derek Brockway gets walking for Children in Need. On a nine-mile hike between Wrexham and Hope Mountain, he meets local people and explores the landscape. He also learns about some of the projects that are supported by Children in Need all over Wales. There’s a challenge, too: Derek wants Pudsey to show off some top dance moves at a celebratory party on top of the mountain at the end of the walk, but Pudsey’s repertoire is limited to waving and doing ‘thumbs up’. Dance phenomenon the Matsena Brothers are called in to help, but can they teach Pudsey the moves in time?