Walking group set for television debut with Iolo
A CYNON Valley walking group has met up with nature expert Iolo Williams – to tell him why the Dare Valley Country Park is one of the best-kept secrets in the South Wales valleys.
The beautiful country park near Aberdare is about to feature in the final edition of BBC One Wales programme Iolo’s Great Welsh Parks, and local group the Dare Valley Walkers have met up with the television presenter at the public area.
Cwmdare has a rich coal-mining history, and work to reclaim the valley floor started in 1971 – ahead of the country park opening two years later after coal tips were removed, the River Dare was re-routed and two lakes were created.
During the coal mining years much of the landscape would have been toxic for wildlife – but on his visit Iolo found it completely transformed.
In the programme he finds that dippers, herons, cormorants and kingfish- ers frequent the Dare river and lakes, while the thin soil over the old coal tips attract scarce butterflies – and smaller insects and ants living among it attract lizards.
Iolo said: “It’s just remarkable, I think, how everything’s gone.
“All the metalwork, all the buildings – and what’s wonderful is the fact that nature’s taken over.”
Lee Davies, one of the organisers of the group, who speaks to Iolo as part of the programme, adds: “We’re just on the fringes of the Beacons, and it’s a great place to be.
“I’m local, so I’m bound to say that!”
In the series, Iolo Williams is the viewers’ personal guide to some of the wonders of Wales’ country parks - exploring the wild- life, landscape and history that’s right on our doorsteps.
“These parks are close to towns but they’re great places for wildlife,” Iolo added.
“This is everyday wildlife that everybody can enjoy.”
The programme airs on BBC One Wales at 7.30pm on Monday, January 23.