Viewers on lockdown given chance to travel North Wales coastline from their living rooms

Lockdown hit TV viewers are being offered the chance to travel across North Wales along the Wales Coast Path from the comfort of their own living room.

ITV Good Morning Britain presenter Sean Fletcher will be meeting some of the many amazing characters who live and work along the 870-mile route.

And his journey starts in Flintshire before heading west via Llandudno and the Menai Strait to South Stack on Anglesey.

The series, Wonders of the Coast Path, was filmed by ITV Cymru Wales before the Covid 19 lockdown began. It will be broadcast in Wales from 8.30pm on Monday 27th April.

It will then be broadcast across the UK on the ITV network during the summer.

Says Sean: ‘It’s vitally important that everyone follows government guidelines and stays at home, but in these difficult times this series can hopefully provide a bit of virtual escapism.”

“We have the most beautiful and diverse coastline in the world, waiting there to be explored and enjoyed by everyone when we are past this and the time is right.”

The series begins with a visit to the dunes at Talacre in Flintshire where Sean goes in search of rare natterjack toads.

Said Sean: “They come out in the dark, so we were out in the dark with our head torches looking around for them.

“We managed to find them.  They sort of hide under bits of carpet that the wardens in this area put down for them for the toads to hide under and we found a few of these beautiful little toads.

“I never thought I’d say a toad is beautiful – it’s got this little strip along its back and it was just a magical moment when I found this toad and you realise that these toads were almost wiped out and now they are thriving in this part of Wales.”

Sean travels on to the Great Orme Bronze Age Mines, the world’s largest prehistoric copper mine.  There he meets mine manager and caver Nick Jowett.

Nick recalls his involvement in the discovery of the site in the late 1980s.

“The local council wanted to build a car park.

“They brought in some mining engineers to open the mineshafts and I was fortunate enough to be in a local mine exploration group back then and I went into the mines on the first day they were open.“

“I was only 18 and it’s fascinating because nobody expected to find bronze age mines dating back 3,500 years on the scale that we have discovered so far.”

Sean’s journey continues, via Conwy and the Menai Suspension Bridge to Anglesey.

There he meets brothers Liam and Ellis Barrie of the Marram Grass restaurant at Newborough before finishing his journey at South Stack lighthouse near Holyhead.

RSPB Warden Denise Shaw tells Sean how her Great Grandfather worked as the lighthouse keeper in the 1920s.

“He always spoke about how wild it was with waves crashing over the top of the lighthouse.”

Now Denise looks about the wildlife on the island, using a flock of hardy Hebridian sheep to keen down the undergrowth.

Once Sean finishes his journey from Flintshire to Anglesey in episode one, he sails along the Menai Strait in episode two, also going stargazing at Uwchmynydd on the Llŷn peninsula and visiting the island of Bardsey.

Jonathan Hill, Executive Producer of the series explains:  “In these difficult times when people aren’t allowed to enjoy the great Welsh coastline this series offers a wonderful escape to some of the most spectacular places along The Wales Coast Path.

“What really enriches this series are the fascinating characters Sean meets during his journey from north to south. I hope that once the restrictions are lifted people will get a chance to discover the wonders for themselves.”