From extreme weather to the pandemic: ITV cameras follow life on the Glanusk estate

Nestled between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains lies the 20,000 acre Glanusk Estate. 

It has been owned by the Legge-Bourke family for nearly two hundred years and the responsibility for keeping it that way lies with former Welsh Guardsman, Harry Legge-Bourke.

ITV cameras followed Harry for almost a year for its new series A Year In The Beacons.

"Living a part of this area, one enjoys it; I really do," he said.

"I wake up in the morning and to be here looking after this place for the next generation, it’s just magical."

Like many estates, Glanusk is now much more than just a family home and every year it plays host to festivals, weddings and events.

As the seventh generation custodian, Harry knows the importance of getting ‘bums on seats’ and welcoming visitors has become a crucial part of estate business. 

The estate holds events like weddings and festivals throughout the year

From the autumn of 2019 through to the summer of 2020, ITV cameras followed Harry as he dealt with everything from extreme weather to the coronavirus pandemic.

As a business that relies heavily on tourism, Covid-19 hit hard.

"You can plan for a lot of things but not a global pandemic that’s going to shut you down overnight," Harry explained.

"How do we get through this next 18 months?

"You take out another loan, after another loan after loan because the banks might turn around and say Harry, no, sorry you’re already in debt enough.

From the autumn of 2019 through to the summer of 2020, ITV cameras followed Harry as he dealt with extreme weather to the pandemic.

But being heir to a vast estate brings its challenges. 

The series shows Harry pulling out all the stops to help pull in the punters. From revamping the outdoor swimming pool to putting in a golf course and adding new trees to the estates vast oak collection. 

Started by Harry’s late Father, the oak collection now includes some 300 different species, some of which have been planted by visiting members of the Royal family.

As the pressure mounts to revamp some of the estate's lost earnings due to Covid, Harry shares his fears about the future of Glanusk.

“The last thing I want to do is be the one who did cock it up and lost the whole bloody lot”.

You can see more of Harry and the Glanusk team on A Year in the Beacons, Monday 15 March at 8pm on ITV Cymru Wales.