- 2 days ago
Tour de Fred Ireland S02E02
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TravelTranscript
00:00I'm Fred Cyriex and I'm French.
00:04What courage is your long day!
00:06I used to work front of house in the hospitality industry.
00:10But now I'm front of camera bringing people together.
00:15I really love cycling. It's a great way to travel and meet people.
00:21I haven't run this much for so long.
00:25Get the taste of new cultures and fresh flavours.
00:29I know it's naughty but they're so good.
00:33Last year I toured Northern Ireland on my bike.
00:37This time I'm heading back across the Irish Sea
00:40to explore the south of this extraordinary island.
00:44It really is epic.
00:46The cycle challenges start in Wexford
00:49and finish further south in County Cork.
00:52Some tough...
00:54Are you going to cheer me on or what? Come on!
00:57Some more gentle.
00:59Time for tea.
01:01But all spectacular.
01:03It's not just about cycling.
01:05And kiss.
01:06Perfect.
01:07There will be different challenges and adventures along the way.
01:11You've all heard of the Tour de France.
01:14This is truly an incredible place.
01:16This is Tour de Fred.
01:19This time I say bonjour to County Waterford in the south east of Ireland
01:36for a steep and spectacular cycle challenge.
01:40I love it.
01:41I love it when my heart is beating in my chest like that.
01:44It makes me feel so alive.
01:46Whoo!
01:47I take on the might of a locomotive.
01:50Whoo!
01:52Things heat up in the crystal factory.
01:55It's a mess, I'm sorry.
01:57What are we going to do with that?
01:58I attempt to find my zen.
02:01Ooh la la!
02:04And I have a supercharged refresh in an ice-cold waterfall.
02:08Let's go!
02:14On y va!
02:16Cheers, Mitch.
02:19How you doing?
02:20I haven't got a clue about what he said.
02:22My cycle trip is continuing in County Waterford.
02:41This county is an opportunity to step into a place shaped by the Vikings,
02:45nurtured by craftspeople and sculpted by dramatic coastlines I'm on my way to
02:52the Georgian estate of Mount Congrave and to get there I'm cycling the
02:56Waterford Greenway this is an off-road path running 28 miles along the former
03:05and now abandoned railway line he wants to race I'll see you later I love this
03:19greenway it's fantastic you can do it any way you like you can cycle you can walk
03:25like these people and you get to see the country the path runs from Waterford
03:30City to the town of Dungarvan with many of the original bridges tunnels and
03:35viaducts once upon a time passengers like me would have been taking in views
03:39of the Celtic Sea and the Comera mountains along just over six miles of the old
03:45Waterford Dungarvan line runs a heritage narrow gauge railway so 21st century
03:51passengers can experience some of the journey tell you what it's such a
03:55relaxing cycle I wish it was my cycle challenge
04:00oh wow look at these fields they are so green so lush
04:12we're so lucky that he referred these rail tracks because now anybody can enjoy them
04:18I've reached my stop Mount Congrave
04:23Mount Congrave is a large estate outside Waterford City passed down by generations of
04:36the Congrave family over 300 years and are owned by the air estate
04:41Ray Sinot is the estate manager Ray I'm so excited to meet you what a place you have this is just a feast for
04:59the eyes it's so beautiful it's wonderful welcome to Mount Congrave the 18th
05:05century Georgian estate Mount Congrave is extensive featuring gardens woodland and
05:11walkways the last of the Congraves Ambrose Christian Congrave lived here up
05:18until his death aged 104 all good life attributed that long life to having this
05:24garden no wonder yes exactly Ambrose Congrave was obsessed with plants he was
05:30sent to his his parents friends house the Rothschilds in London and just like
05:37many of us just got interested in plants and it became a lifelong passion and one
05:43of the unique things about a place like Mount Congrave and Ireland in particular
05:47we grow things really well here we've got a temperate climate we've got great soil we
05:52have plants from all over the world what's the most official plants you go
05:56here we have a number of them that are critically endangered and endangered
05:59worldwide our probably rarest plant we have is the wallami nobilis known as the
06:05dinosaur tree which was rediscovered in Australia in 1995 we have two of them in
06:10fact and we planted one of these for mr. Congrave on his 100th birthday so he took a
06:16short walk maybe of a hundred meters and told us how grateful he was and told us all
06:21these wonderful sayings but it ends with to be happy for life have a gardens and
06:26this is from a guy who walked up to us at a hundred years old so I took his advice
06:31Wow we all just like to share this place with as many people as possible you've
06:35got to come here to see what it feels like and everybody gets something from the
06:38gardens whether they know it or not you feel better being in a garden you just do
06:42what an example since mr. Congrave died we had to decide what do we do with this
06:47place how does it place like this pay for itself so the wall garden has always
06:51produced fruit and vegetables I mean if you are a gardener or a chef I mean you
06:55are in heaven here quite literally can we go and see the vegetables you're sure
06:59let's go pick your down thanks
07:03the head chef here JB Dubois has offered to cook supper for us but first we've got to
07:09pick it so what do you have in there Ray what we have in here at the moment is the gourds tomatoes
07:18the chilies cucumbers over on our left-hand side look at the size of this it's pretty big one it's a
07:24Guinness World Record is it I don't think so I think it's an average one is it no it's a big
07:28wow so more chilies and the tomatoes in and the smell it's beautiful this smell yeah it smells of
07:37tomato it's so vivid it's so incredible wow beautiful it's not like when you go to a supermarket
07:45you know and you pick some tomatoes and they are so watery the taste of nothing it's not the same
07:50wow that's something explosion it's beautiful explosion of flavor and we're going to have a
08:00lot of them for dinner now as well let's try and pick something a couple of nice ones here
08:04your chef is the luckiest guy tomatoes like they used to taste look at that one
08:13I'm not going to put it in the basket I know it's naughty but they're so good
08:21yeah one for Ray and one for me
08:28it's like the tomato hunt isn't it it is like a tomato hunt it's fond of no it is you've got to
08:39have a well-trained hive try these ones I know they're yellow but they're ripe trust me oh they
08:45wow they look like a pear they look like a pear do we have enough we have enough I'm eating them as
08:51you're picking them you see I forgot to mention that I've been doing the same thing that's okay
08:54oh look at this apple tree wow yes the thing about these apple trees the sweeter apples are closer to
09:03this house which would have been the head gardener's house so he could keep an eye on so he planted them
09:08next to his house on purpose yeah two reasons one so he can get them two so nobody else can
09:13no sure I for one I'm tempted by these apples it's got to be done hasn't it
09:20oh wow
09:24that's an apple the taste is so intense there is so much flavor here and and there is a lovely scent to it
09:35yeah there is almost like a white flower oh well I've pitted on the apple now what's gonna happen
09:42it's not long before I spot something else come here look at this lettuce this is the lettuce like we have in France look at that
09:55this is tender leaves this is the best beautiful tender leaves look at that black this is beautiful oh wow
10:11all right we're gonna put it in the basket now
10:19it's like we've just been to the market we have
10:21we're nearly there one more ingredient to find before we can take our bounty to chef JB
10:28oh the scallions are here some scallions in here so how much shall we collect
10:34got a bunch of them maybe we've got a bunch here
10:39there we are let's have a nice gentle walk back to the kitchen shall we
10:43perfect cook some dinner which way shall we go shall we go up this way
10:46so yeah
10:49congreaves chef happens to be a fellow countryman JB Dubois
10:53hello
10:54hello
10:55welcome
10:56okay come in
10:57let's go
10:58come on in
11:03I'm super excited with this cooking session we've got the freshest vegetables
11:07and we've got this incredible fish what are you gonna make chef
11:10what we have there that's rock salmon it's a shark as you can see
11:13and it was used very much in the 70s and 80s and everybody stopped using it
11:17and we just used hick cod salmon and we over fish all those
11:22but there's plenty of those left in the sea so we need to go start to use them again
11:27this rock salmon has been caught locally and I'm so excited to try it
11:31the rock salmon is very creamy texture between monkfish scallop and cod
11:36all in link together you know what we'll do we'll use them the stem from the tomatoes
11:42we'll dry them and we'll make a little crust of it
11:45all right let's cook
11:47Ray you'll go and start the fish we're going to brine it
11:50so how long you've been working here JB
11:53so here just over a year we took over the cafe and then we've done more fresh food coming from the garden
11:59basically you're cooking with the vegetable of the wall garden which is 300 years old
12:03I mean how many chefs get to do that
12:06not many not enough in France like I was trained to work in five-star hotels and where we were sending back the carrots
12:12because they were only seven centimeters long and they should have been eight centimeters
12:16I know the kind of chef
12:18we have a rule in the kitchen like before he goes in the bin you think
12:22I think I've got the long straw here because look at me you're working Ray
12:27JB is risking his fingers with his mandolin and here I am just watching your work
12:34and I have to say you're doing great the both of you
12:37so a little bit of sea salt I'll eat you a little bit of sea salt and you're going to rock them a little bit
12:41just massage them the sea salt just to release all the taste and use it yeah
12:47this is the kind of food I like to eat JB you know
12:50yeah it's just nice and fresh we're going to add a little bit of a lovely side of vinegar
12:56okay
12:58all these ingredients are from the garden apart from the fish of course
13:02okay so we're just going to add a few little tomatoes and then mix it with a bit of yogurt
13:06every single week we have a walk in the garden instead of me picking up the phone ordering the food is what I need
13:11do you have any arguments with the gardeners because they don't want to do that they want to do this
13:16does it happen?
13:17of course yeah
13:19I'm still a French chef, am I?
13:22that looks lovely
13:24is it like a petit farci like stuffed vegetables
13:26that's why you do that
13:27there we go
13:28that's just for presentation a little bit
13:29and we're going to make a very quick pesto so there's no parinots
13:32it's sunflower seeds
13:33don't say that to the Italians though because you've invented a new pesto now
13:36once the pesto is made it's time for the shark to eat the pan
13:50I've been looking forward to this plate up look at that
13:56colors are incredible
13:57oh and the flowers
13:59et voilà
14:00brilliant
14:03try to be inspired by the food like you know
14:06this is lovely
14:07I mean if I was eating food like this I would live to 105
14:11everything is delicious
14:12I loved it
14:13thank you very much chef
14:14thank you
14:15Ray thanks a lot man
14:16thank you
14:21what an inspired cooking session
14:23I have never met a chef who cooks like this
14:25I mean it's straight from the garden to the plate
14:27no transformation whatsoever
14:29I mean only slightly
14:30and it was so delicious
14:32so inspiring
14:33back on the bike
14:36back on the bike
14:37I'm heading to the historical city of Waterford
14:39where my next adventure awaits
14:41I'm in Waterford am I saying it correctly
14:51I've made it to Waterford City
14:54Ireland's oldest city
14:55founded by the Vikings in a strategic location on the river shore in the year 914
15:03Waterford is a city of conquest and craftsmanship
15:07house of Waterford
15:20look at these crystals
15:21I think I'm going to have a look
15:22glass making in Ireland can be traced back to the Celts about 500 years BC who used the glass for their beads and jewelry
15:29glass making in Ireland can be traced back to the Celts about 500 years BC who used the glass for their beads and jewelry
15:44What a bouquet
15:45Waterford crystal was established in 1783 by the Penrose family
16:00almost 250 years later the crystal made here is famous the world over
16:05This is my next cup Rory if you're watching I'm coming for you mate this is going to be mine
16:18And I'm not the only one drawn in by the sparkles this is rocket man this is Elton John
16:24Mind you it's crystal and it's flamboyant so you know
16:32Hello Fred
16:33Hi Emily
16:34Lovely to meet you
16:35So you're the Queen of Waterford
16:36I'm the Queen of Waterford
16:37Welcome to my palace
16:38Nice to meet you
16:39No it's great
16:40I didn't know it existed
16:41I knew about Lalique, Baccarat
16:42I never heard of Waterford crystal
16:43Incredible
16:44Yes
16:45Would you like to come and see how we make these wonderful pieces?
16:46Oh yes
16:47I'd love to
16:48Can't wait
16:49Come with me
16:54I'm going to take you through here now if you wouldn't mind just pop it on your safety glasses
17:00No of course
17:03So David our master blower is going to show you yourself how you can breathe life into crystal and shape it itself
17:10So you can see he's gathered a ball from our tank furnace which is heated to 1400 degrees
17:14And he's now going to use his own breath to shape that piece
17:17It takes eight years to master the craft here
17:20So what goes inside crystal? What makes crystal?
17:23So crystal is like a magic formula but the basic ingredients are potash, silica sand and then we use a substrate
17:30Waterbird is actually one of the first crystal companies to have taken lead out of our product
17:35It means that that crystal is now sustainable for generation after generation
17:39What difference does it make to the crystal?
17:41It actually would mimic the same properties so it is known for its weight, its depth of cutting and that ping when you toast the glass
17:48Right
17:49Actually Queen Elizabeth the second was hosted in Dublin Castle here some years ago and she's noted as saying
17:54I do love these blinking glasses
17:56Oh lovely
17:57Even the Queen herself noticed the difference
17:58So sustainability is very important for you guys
18:01Very important to us
18:02You know we've been here since 1783 and we plan to be here for 250 plus years more
18:07But also with integrity to the environment that we work in so sustainability is very important
18:12So am I going to get too blue now?
18:14Absolutely
18:15I've never done it
18:16As you can imagine
18:17It's the first time for everything
18:18Okay
18:19Another blow
18:20Yeah
18:21It's much harder than I thought
18:25That will do?
18:27Oh you just have to make that little bubble
18:30Yeah we need to see you
18:32Some need to need a bigger bubble
18:34Okay
18:35Oh
18:38Obviously that wasn't good you know
18:40Twist it, twist it, twist it, twist it, twist it, twist
18:42So come back, you're back
18:44And out you come
18:45Oh
18:47Oops
18:48Sorry about that
18:49Not grand
18:53Now blow it now
18:54Oh take it out your hands
18:58Hello
18:59Whoa
19:01Look at this bubble Girard
19:03Look at that
19:05And then what do I do with that?
19:06Stick it in the water
19:07Stick it in the water
19:08And what's going to happen?
19:09It's going to break or?
19:10Oh yeah
19:11It's going to break
19:12Yeah
19:13In the water
19:14Which is of course the polite way of saying
19:16Put it in the bin
19:17I'd better leave it to the masters
19:19We'll step in there as well
19:21Now if you'd like to come over here for it
19:23Whoa
19:24Can I be careful here?
19:26Dangerous business here
19:27Yes
19:28This is why these are the masters
19:29So what you can see here now is it's going into the wooden mould and you'll see the flame which is caused by the heat of that mould
19:44And what is he doing with this there?
19:46So he's gradually starting to cool down the mould so the shape is formed
19:51Wow
19:53But it's also a teamwork because you can't do it by yourself
19:56Absolutely
19:57I often think of this like a ballet platform where they move in perfect sync with each other
20:01My previous attempt ended in the bin so Jer is giving me a head start before I try again
20:10And this time I've got an audience
20:13Okay
20:14Hang on
20:15To our blow
20:16To our blow
20:17Shall we play football?
20:24Yeah
20:25It's a mess
20:26It's a mess I'm sorry
20:28What are we going to do with that?
20:30Put it in the bin
20:31In the bin?
20:32Yeah
20:33I lift it up
20:34Congratulations Fred
20:35Thank you
20:36Thank you
20:37You can clap
20:38Thank you
20:39Thank you
20:40It looks like I'm better at breaking glass than making glass
20:44Maybe I'm Greek
20:45Woo
20:46Oh
20:47My crystal creations won't make it to the next stage
20:58But for those that do they are cooled down over a 48 hour period
21:02And marked out before the intricate cutting begins
21:09So this is where the crystal gets its beautiful sparkle
21:12And where we apply all of the cuts that were synonymous for around the world
21:15Would you like to try your hand on it?
21:17I'd love to try it but this looks awfully technical and so precise
21:22That's why he's the master right?
21:23Wow
21:24And you're our apprentice today Fred
21:25I am
21:26Alan would you like to show Fred how it's done?
21:27Absolutely Fred
21:28Have you ten fingers Fred?
21:29I do look
21:30We count them at the end
21:32Okay
21:33On the bottom we have a 16 point star synonymous with our brand
21:35So I'm going to teach you how to do that
21:37Right
21:38It's a test of hand-eye coordination
21:39And see if you have a flair for the job
21:41If you can do this you move on
21:43If you can't do the star
21:45Pressure is on
21:47The pressure is on
21:48Okay
21:49So we need you to put on a jacket
21:51Right
21:52Thank you
21:53All right
21:54So I've got to be relaxed
21:57Be relaxed
21:58Look for the centre line
21:59There you go
22:00Now you see the cut starting to form in the centre
22:03Yes
22:04You can press a little bit harder
22:05Come back into the centre again
22:09You're going too far forward
22:10Oh
22:11Give us a look
22:12Pretty good
22:13It's really good actually
22:15Look at that
22:16I mean it's not quite the waterproof standard
22:18We're not finished Fred
22:19We're not finished
22:20No no but I'm just happy with the first part
22:23Back into the centre
22:27And lift off
22:29Here we are
22:30Waterford crystal
22:31By moi
22:32Fred I think you might be better than the master
22:34Well
22:35I doubt that
22:36But I take it
22:38I don't think my glass made the cut for the factory
22:41But it's good enough for me
22:50Look at this scenery
22:57Just out of this world
23:00I'm cycling along the Copper Coast in County Waterford
23:06This coastline takes its name from the 19th century copper mines that once lined these cliffs
23:12You've got to be a little fit to cycle this coast road
23:17It does have some climbs but it's always worth it for the view
23:23Later I have a steeper uphill challenge
23:25But for now the rain is holding off as I approach the seaside town of Tramore
23:30To discover a little corner of Japan here on Ireland's Copper Coast
23:35These Japanese gardens are a memorial to Patrick Lafcadio Earn
23:54Earn was a late 19th century writer who had Irish and Greek parents
23:59Moved to the USA
24:00And then found fame and fortune in Japan late in life
24:05Lafcadio Earn is best known for his books about Japanese legends and ghosts
24:09A genuine international man of mystery
24:12And I'm meeting one of his descendants
24:16Konnichiwa
24:18Konnichiwa
24:19Hello
24:20That's all I can say
24:22Konnichiwa
24:23How are you?
24:24I'm Fred
24:25Nice to meet you
24:26Nice to meet you too
24:27What an amazing place
24:29Yes
24:30I love it
24:32This garden's design represents the spirit and philosophy of Japanese gardening
24:38It's such a surprise for me to see these gardens here
24:41I know, out of nowhere
24:43So when were these gardens started?
24:4510 years ago
24:46In commemoration of Lafcadio Earn
24:49And you are direct descendant of him?
24:51Yes
24:52How many generations back?
24:53I'm Lafcadio and Setzu are my great great grandparents
24:59Wow
25:00I mean, I'm 3% Irish, 3% Greek
25:03Okay, I'm 6% Irish, believe it or not?
25:05You're double
25:06Yeah, double
25:08Double
25:09So when did you first come to Ireland then?
25:11It was 8 years ago
25:12Yeah, just visiting this garden
25:14Because I was doing the journey of footsteps of Lafcadio Earn
25:19Lafcadio Earn
25:20And what did you feel when you came to this garden?
25:22From what people love Japan and Lafcadio Earn
25:25That's so honour to me
25:27I'm so proud
25:28And you're still here?
25:30I met a guy who is still joined tour garden here
25:34And he is now my husband
25:36Ah, here we are
25:38It's a love story
25:39This is why you're here
25:41It must be wonderful for you to live here
25:43And to have these wonderful gardens here
25:45Because, you know, it makes you very close to your own country
25:48To Japan, doesn't it?
25:49Yes
25:50So I'm so happy
25:52So have you seen the tea room?
25:54Tea house?
25:55No, I haven't actually
25:56Would you like to try?
25:57I'd love to
25:58Yeah, very strict roads there
26:00No problem, I'm very disciplined
26:02Are you sure?
26:03Yes
26:04Are you sure?
26:05I know I'm French
26:06And I'm a bit of a rebellious person
26:07Oh, yes
26:08But don't worry, I will follow your guidance
26:10Yes
26:19A Japanese tea ceremony
26:21This is a first for me
26:23As well as an honour
26:29But first, I need to look the part
26:31So time for a quick change
26:32So I can really enter the spirit of it
26:39Actually, tea ceremony starts from
26:43Entering the tea garden
26:45Okay
26:46And cleanse yourself
26:47Alright
26:48And leave your hustle
26:51Outer world
26:52Behind you
26:53Okay?
26:57I'm told I need to wash my hands
26:59And mouth to please both body and soul
27:01And soul
27:09This ritual is already making me feel so calm
27:24Very good
27:25Thank you
27:26Okay, come this way
27:31I really am starting to forget I'm actually in Ireland
27:38These tea making traditions go back centuries in Japan
27:44And though they've evolved, their principles still stand
27:48Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:49Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:50Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:51Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:52Guests are expected to show appreciation for the tea mistress
27:53Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:54Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
27:55Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
28:00Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
28:01Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
28:13Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
28:14Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for the tea mistress
28:20Guests are expected to showję
28:26Guests are expected to show appreciation and respect for
28:44ceremony for the last half an hour and i could well be in kyoto for all i know this has been
28:49incredible alligator my bike is not the only thing in gear my mind is too
29:02just me the road and nature and life is simple it's easy i get to be by myself you know inside
29:11my own mind and in a way it's very therapeutic it's like a communion of the body and the mind
29:19and i need that every now and then my destination is the village of fena which gets me back on the
29:25copper coast road this landscape has been shaped by natural forces over millions of years leaving
29:37stacked rocks and rocky headlands
29:45i'm on my way to meet woodcarver david who has been inspired by this landscape and makes use of
29:51waterford beech trees to make everything from furniture to traditional wooden spoons
29:56hi good afternoon hello how are you how are you fred david yeah how are you doing you're
30:10running to fred really good sorry i'm a bit late you're not you're perfectly on time david has
30:18prepared beech wood templates for us to carve out the shape of our spoons this is beech wood from
30:24waterford uh where we're going to recycle a nice piece of wood and turn it into a spoon wooden spoons
30:30are still seen as part of traditional irish kitchenware known for their durability just focus
30:36up here on the top of the spoon on the on the actual bowl of the spoon okay and take your time
30:42cutting shallow cuts if you can david uses hand tools and other traditional skills and is passionate
30:48about teaching people his craft okay so i'm just going to keep an eye on you there fred be careful
30:54pulling that knife towards yourself and just work down the spoon nice and slowly it's a really nice
30:59mindful activity people get into it they they want to to wind down they want to learn a new skill
31:04they put away the phone for a few hours it's really hard wood it is a hardwood this is beach so it's a
31:10hardwood and where did you get the wood was it something that was cut purposefully did it fall i know a
31:16couple of arborists and tree surgeons and i basically will ask them to keep an eye out for a nice piece
31:22of straight wood with no branches spoon carving is more difficult than it looks it's certainly taking
31:32a lot of effort how do you say i'm tired in french and just be fatigued fatigued are you fatigued
31:39he looks fatigued what about in irish how do you say in irish
31:54this is hardcore do you think we're gonna do it in an hour and 15 here judging by uh
32:00i mean this guy is definitely not gonna do an hour and 15. he's not gonna he's like two days and
32:05and a half well you have any finish spoons i have a bunch of finish schools give me one of them
32:13can i have one too yes of course i have a box of them here i feel so good to be sitting next to him
32:21because he's as bad as me we are spoon brothers we are the spoon brothers i better start behaving now
32:30otherwise i will get thrown out of the class the next knife is a hook knife which is a lot of fun
32:35turn your spoon they go parallel and you're just going to cut across the grain oh wow look what you've
32:41done and yes you work back then let me show my bro my spoon brother here look what he's done he's done
32:48you see compared to you and me yeah well sure this is a difference yeah one off on me
33:02and i thought i was going to be able in a couple of hours to get a spoon bring him back to my mom
33:06and voila bob's your uncle but this is not going to happen you'll get nearly a spoon okay okay folks
33:14do you want to let's have a look at how you've gotten on so far you've not done too bad in fairness
33:19this is brilliant brilliant yeah i mean he's my spoon brother from another mother these three are
33:29really good yeah i like the bowl here look that's really established i think this one's quite good
33:36go on i say well thank you that was really really good i really enjoyed it
33:43i'd better not give up the day job wood carving is fun but not my forte so i'm getting back where i'm more
33:49comfortable
33:50in the saddle to warm up for my steepest cycle climb yet in waterford
34:04i'm fred syriex and my latest cycle tour of ireland has brought me to county waterford in the
34:22south east of the country i'm heading into the wilderness of the comera mountains and it's time
34:30for my cycle challenge and i'm going all the way up to the mountain fall it's supposed to be spectacular
34:36up there anyway i better stop talking and concentrate on the cycling now
34:47this mountain range stretches for roughly 15 miles from clonmel in the north to dungarvin in the south
34:53oh this is so beautiful
35:07i may only be cycling three kilometers to marron falls but this is a twisty and tricky uphill climb
35:15i love it i love it when my heart is beating in my chest like that makes me feel so alive
35:24sheep farming is big in the comera mountains so along with them and hill walkers i've got company on my
35:30cycle to my own falls
35:39i'm cycling to almost 400 meters above sea level
35:42what a challenge but what a view
36:03i feel like the king of the world
36:04wow
36:15what a spot
36:17marron falls is an 80 meter waterfall where the waters of the river marron plunge into the slopes of
36:23the comera mountains what a sight but look at all these ships here i wonder who they belong to
36:30look at this the majesty of this place i feel so tiny
36:51and now following the river down from the waterfalls to a place called crew woods where the river flows
36:57through the lower slopes of the comera mountains
37:03crew wood here i am
37:12hello
37:13this ancient woodland is steeped in stories of irish fairies and folklore and holistic therapist
37:25claire uses this natural setting to practice yoga and she's expecting me this is magical here what an
37:32enchanting forest
37:35oh here they are
37:41the spontaneous flow of our breath
37:44and i think that's what we're talking about here we've been waiting we've been waiting
37:47kate miller
37:48but yeah you're so welcome sorry i'm late hi guys how are you sorry i'm late i had an epic walk in the
37:54woods it's like it's magic it's like there is something there triacht yeah what's that magic in irish
38:00and we are in this magical moment full of triacht full of life full of energy light brightness joy
38:07when i came into the woods i felt it
38:15i've got to sit still again always a challenge for me
38:18close your eyes gently like the roots of the tree we root in with the pelvis
38:24become aware of the wonderful magical sounds in this beautiful woodlands and become aware
38:31now of the different aromas notice how your breath is flowing this morning the only moment our life
38:38exists is here and now as you can see i'm trying really hard
38:45and together we will chant
39:04then we can bow the head and as we lift the head we can come back and open the eyes smiling behind
39:12those eyes and we are centered a nice arm have you done arms before fred no fantastic so i'm a homer now
39:22you're an armor now yeah we're going to move into a few little postures so we're going to come up
39:28onto our all fours oh dear is it time for the downward dog back up to our down dog
39:35oh lovely well done index fingers touch and we come into cali mudra
39:44sorry about that it's a challenge and that's got nothing to do with the fairies by the way oh yeah
39:48that's it just want to say that nice and easy this might look simple but i'm feeling it in every muscle
39:55trying to hold these postures i'm not an oak tree am i you're you are yeah fairy tree
40:02it's like i'm doing the traffic yeah you can go no you stop let's do our circular trees
40:09well we will all be a little forest here okay
40:13it's much easier together now isn't it and we push up oh look at us yeah
40:20you see that's when your good friends besides your life is much easier oh i like it
40:25good job after the yoga session it's time to go looking for fungi
40:33fungi flourish in crew woods in autumn and it's a good job i'm with claire who knows her mushrooms
40:39so i'm in safe hands i love to go mushroom hunting it's like treasure yeah it is oh look at that look at
40:47at that oh fred oh yeah oh my goodness oh yeah unreal i've got the biggest one
40:54yay
40:57oh my goodness look at that yeah look at this little baby oh this is beautiful this is a perfect little
41:03one these are the turkey tails and look at them they look like a turkey tail
41:07the abundance here is amazing and the diversity of mushrooms they're so beautiful
41:17it's not long before claire spots a fairly rare species and not one to be eaten wow i've never seen
41:24these here before so you're definitely after bringing some fairy energy and they're really excited to see
41:30you we have a fly garrick we have the amanita muscaria this is one of the most magical she is the goddess
41:38of all of the mushrooms but you would be very sick very very sick so it's not recommended to eat it
41:46and it's not just mushrooms we are keeping an eye out for fairies are an important part of island's
41:52folklore what's in there fairies fairies yeah i can well imagine that they are in there yeah something
42:03fell on my head ah it's still the water i just saw it dripping down your face like yeah you got christens
42:10christens by the berries claire has promised a swim in a jacuzzi to finish the day off
42:24so where is the jacuzzi the jacuzzi is just up here and around the corner and what's the temperature of
42:31the water the temperature is quite cold hey little fairies can you please turn up the temperature of the
42:39jacuzzi please something like 25 26 would be lovely okay thanks here we go to the jacuzzi
42:49i hope the fairies have listened oh well there's only one way to find out right yes
42:56in whoa there's a lot of water clear oh we had a lot of rain here last night
43:09okay everyone so here we are now at probably the most epic place in the woods so we approach this
43:21water though very gently and very carefully very with with a mindfulness with a respect so as you go
43:28into the water really be present in every fiber and get that coldness out of your head i'm definitely
43:35going to be present because it's going to be so cool okay let's go let's just do it come on feel it in your heart yeah
43:49what an experience amongst these new forest friends of mine
44:04you know what they say cold water swimming can be good for you and once the initial shock is over
44:09this feels really good
44:27this is truly a magical wood what an experience i feel the fairies all over me they are all over me
44:39what a magical destination county waterford is to cycle around offering up so many places to park up
44:53my bike and enjoy mount congrave is my idea of heaven you know you've got a garden and then you can cook
45:00from the produce of your garden wow there is nothing better than this
45:05i had no idea i was going to meet the queen of waterford and learn about waterford crystal what a
45:14morning i had japanese gardens in the middle of island i had no idea but what an experience wearing
45:21the full kimono and having a tea ceremony just like you would in japan
45:28the cycle challenge to the mountain fall was harder than i thought it was going to be
45:32it's steep like this but what a spectacular view when you get up there waterford will always have
45:41a very special place in my heart for me it's four things it's skills craft tradition and fairies
45:48they're everywhere actually there's one behind you here there island is truly magical
46:02so
46:11so
46:13so
46:15so
46:23Transcription by CastingWords
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