Coast and Country: What a year we've had!
We've had a truly incredible year. So we thought we'd look back through our archives and share some of our favourite moments with you. We start back in spring, and something of an experiment for the team; Coast and Country Lambing Live! In the run up to lambing season in March we joined the Edwards Family at their farm in the South Wales Valleys, filming behind the scenes as hundreds of bundles of woolly joy came into the world! We even named our own little lambs Coast and Country!
The lambing season is probably the busiest time of the year in the farming calendar, and it's a case of roping in the whole family to help, at all times of the day and night.
And in June I also the privilege of travelling to Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast to meet some very pretty little birds! In the summer thousands of Puffins fly in from the Atlantic to nest! Skomer is an absolute haven for them!
The puffins are also known as "Clowns of the Sea", and you can see why! And it was such a delight to be able to get so close them... the birds not bothered by our presence at all!
Andrew has also had a number of animal encounters this year! In recent years the Red Squirrel has faced a real struggle for survival here in the UK. But on Anglesey they are thriving!
Just a few decades ago almost the whole of Wales had red and grey squirrel populations, but the non-native grey almost wiped the red population out. Now on Anglesey with the help of volunteers they have had a change of fortune, and their future looks secure!
In a slight change of pace, Andrew was also lucky enough to hit the beach for a spot of training with the Snowdonia Sled Dog racing team. They train on the soft sand in preparation for the winter months where they take part in events across the UK.
The dogs are Siberian Huskies, and according to owner and breeder Gareth Bowyer their athleticism makes them perfect racing animals. But he also loves their company too!
But it hasn't always been plain sailing, as I found out when I tried my hand at a spot of Sheep Trekking. Yes, that's right, sheep trekking, in the hills of Mid Wales. My companion for the day, a stroppy Jacob's Sheep called Jigsaw!
To slightly bigger animals on the sand now, and what an exhilerating time I had horse riding on the beautiful sands of West Wales. Although I've still got a lot to learn about climbing on to to horse, as you'll see later!
Andrew was also able to tune in to his artistic side, as he met up with sea artist Sean Keogh! Sean lives in Dale and makes sculptures out of debris salvaged from around the West Wales coastline.
Andrew also met the 3 generations of the same family who run a hill farm together near Bridgend in South Wales. Head of the family is 85 year old David Anthony, also known as "Bompa". Possibly one of our most memorable characters, Bompa's passion for farming and his animals shone, and he made an emotional tribute to the countryside by reciting a poem that had us all in tears!
We hope you'll join us tonight at 8pm for the final Coast and Country of 2017! Don't worry, we're already busy filming for our new series so we'll be back on your screens in the new year!