Gareth Edwards, once voted the greatest rugby player of all time, is not quite so coordinated when put in charge of a seventy-foot narrowboat. Now in his 70s, the rugby legend is busier than ever and constantly racing from one thing to the next. Which is why his wife, childhood sweetheart Maureen, has determined he needs to chill out more. She’s hatched a plan to whisk him away to explore the four Welsh canals. As no narrowboat is allowed to go more than three miles an hour, she figures that exploring the Welsh canals is the one way to finally get him to relax. But the plan is not entirely successful as Gareth’s stress levels go through the roof once he is in charge of his narrowboat. Even though everything around them happens slowly, avoiding hitting obstacles along the way proves no easy feat. Maureen, meanwhile, has some previous experience of driving a barge so knows the perils but also struggles when she jumps in the driving seat. After a pub lunch, Gareth and Maureen return to find their boat has drifted off and blocked the entire canal. Somehow, Wales’s much-loved couple still find time to appreciate the breathtaking scenery. The Llangollen canal is one of the most scenic canals in Britain, with stunning landscapes and the 300m long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The aqueduct was designed by Thomas Telford in 1795 and carries the canal over the River Dee on 19 vast arches. In its day it was radical new technology. Even now it’s not for the faint-hearted, and a good head for heights is needed before setting out to cross the 200-year-old structure. Gareth takes an opportunity to catch up with an old friend who lives near the canal. Dai Davies was goalkeeper for Wales between 1969 and 1987, but he and Gareth go back further than that. While young men, still dreaming of sporting success, they were flatmates. Now Dai has left international sporting success behind him to focus on alternative therapies. Maureen hopes Dai will finally manage to slow Gareth do
Gareth Edwards, once voted the greatest rugby player of all time, is not quite so coordinated when put in charge of a seventy-foot narrowboat. Stress levels are running high from the off when Gareth and his wife, childhood sweetheart Maureen, face their first lock on the Montgomery Canal. Gareth assumes the role of captain, while Maureen takes charge of the heavy lifting. The intrepid canal explorers discover the incredible story of the narrowboat Cressy as they pass the place it was built. Use of the canals for the transporting of goods was dying out in the latter half of the 20th century. But the writer LTC Rolt took Cressy along the overgrown canal system and wrote the bestselling book Narrow Boat. It's credited with inspiring interest in canals for pleasure not industry, kick-starting the canal leisure industry and saving many old waterways from being lost forever. Gareth and Maureen get a lift on a horse-drawn narrowboat, finally experiencing the tranquillity of near silence drifting through a pristine landscape without a roaring engine. At a section of canal that is still impassable, they learn of plans underway to restore the canal back to its former glory. Gareth also manages to hitch a lift on a barge taking schoolchildren deep into the countryside to experience life on the canal. Finally, Gareth is asked to fire the starting gun at a triathlon in which people cycle, run and row the entire length of the canal to raise money to help fund the restoration. The journey along the Montgomery canal with two of Wales' most loved figures delivers plenty of humour and a heart-warming celebration of some of the best landscape the country has to offer.
Rugby legend Gareth Edwards and wife Maureen’s canal adventure continues in style as they are entrusted with a classy craft on which to explore the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. Determined to show that he has mastered the art of narrow-boating, Gareth takes charge of the Bentley of barges. But no amount of determination prevents a few bumps and scrapes along the way. As a reward for their endeavours, the intrepid duo discover a way to make gin with ingredients found in the hedgerows. Gareth is a lifelong fisherman and loves nothing more than a few hours on a riverbank. When the canal passes the Glanusk Estate, Gareth seizes the chance to meet up with Tiggy Pettifer. Once nanny to the royal princes, Tiggy now runs the estate. Gareth admits that if he had to make a choice between scoring a try for Wales or catching the perfect salmon, it would be catching the fish every time. As Gareth and Maureen pull into Brecon, where the canal ends, they couldn’t have a more appropriate welcoming party. A jazz band – a style of music with which the town is synonymous thanks to its annual festival - is waiting to greet them.
Rugby legend Gareth Edwards and his wife, and childhood sweetheart, Maureen reach the final leg of their round-Wales adventure by canal. And the conclusion of their beautiful but bumpy journey through the most spectacular scenery Wales has to offer has a personal connection for them both. This pair of narrowboat novices grew up at opposite ends of the same street in the village of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, a few miles from Neath. As children, they would play in the areas by the derelict canals but knew very little of them and their history. Today, though the canals are virtually impassable, they have been cleaned up. Gareth and Maureen discover no fewer than three canals on their doorstep: the Swansea Canal and the Neath and Tennant Canals. The canals reveal a story of industry that once dominated the area, canals being constructed to get coal and iron to the docks. But now there is a plan afoot to give them a new lease of life. Teams of dedicated volunteers are working on the old canals, hoping to restore and reopen them. Gareth and Maureen can’t help but be impressed when they take to the water by motorboat and even canoe to get a sense of what the canals will be like when they reopen.
Rugby legend Gareth Edwards and wife Maureen are more than ready for a new adventure. Their first saw the childhood sweethearts causing chaos on the canals of Wales. Despite endless barge bashing and bickering, they loved it. The pandemic hit and, like the rest of us, they were locked down for months. Thankful to see restrictions lift, Gareth and Maureen are determined to make the most of their new freedom and visit some of Wales’ most beautiful places. Their new adventures will include just that – trying things they’ve never experienced in 70-plus years. Sir Gareth was once voted the greatest rugby player of all time. But, on their first adventure in Machynlleth, he fulfils a boyhood dream of driving a steam train. Maureen’s keen too and takes charge as they wind through the stunning Dyfi Valley. She’s less eager as they visit a centre for endangered birds of prey. She has to tackle her phobia when they meet some magnificent new feathered friends. Maureen’s packed the schedule so as well as glamping and massaging some of Wales’ most pampered cows, they squeeze in rally car driving in a local forest, a first for them both. After tips from one of Wales’ top rally drivers Jade Paveley, the duo compete in a race. Both ‘steady Eddie’ Gareth and ‘need for speed’ Maureen are convinced they’re the better driver. The proof will be in the lap times. As for so many, lockdown was a difficult time in which Gareth and Maureen lost friends and desperately missed family, especially the grandchildren. Back exploring their beloved Wales, they reflect on how precious life is, including the opportunity to once again enjoy such wonderful places
Gareth Edwards and wife Maureen are in the stunning coastal town of Tenby for the second of their new adventures across Wales. After so long in lockdown, the pair are determined to get out and enjoy all life has to offer. On this particular weekend, they’ve got something special to celebrate. The former Wales and Lions captain and his childhood sweetheart are marking of 49 years of marriage. Maureen’s found the perfect place for her and Sir Gareth to stay nearby – Manorbier Castle. The pair get the whole place to themselves once the last visitors leave and being 'king of the castle' definitely scores highly with history buff Gareth as a place to spend a special anniversary. By day, they get competitive over a game of golf and take a boat trip to photograph seals and sea birds off the Pembrokeshire coast. Gareth is concerned when Maureen takes over the controls to see how fast the boat can go. The animal theme continues as Gareth and Maureen try a zoo-keeping experience at a local wildlife park. After being put in charge of the rhinos, they brave serving breakfast to a tiger. The duo end the day by walking and feeding the New Zealand pigs before they get to enjoy a feast themselves, cooked fresh on the beach.
Rugby legend Gareth Edwards and wife Maureen head to one of Wales’ most popular holiday destinations for the third in their series of new adventures. They arrive just as a heatwave hits turning Llandudno into a resort to rival the best sunny seaside locations. Llandudno is known for its seafront hotels and B&Bs and the pair check in to a room with a sea view before going in search of the pier and ice-cream. Once, people flocked here for a traditional seaside experience, but today the area is a magnet for adrenaline seekers. Not wanting to miss out, Maureen arranges for the two of them to abseil from The Great Orme. It’s a nerve-wracking prospect, but one both are keen to try. For seven hundred years, the area has boasted some of the best honey in Britain, and Gareth and Maureen meet a local bee keeper and his bees before trying honey fresh from the hive. The pair travel up the Great Orme by tram, in search of the famous goats. The goats were a gift given to Queen Victoria, but found a new level of fame when they took advantage of lockdown to leave the mountain and explore the town. Finally, they spend a day with hill farmer, Gareth Wyn Jones, who tests how they measure up as traditional Welsh hill farmers giving them tasks including working with a sheep dog and shearing. They’re rewarded with a trip to the top of a mountain and a breath-taking view out across the Menai Straits.
Gareth and Maureen Edwards head to St Davids, a place which holds half a lifetime of special memories for them. After making 53 appearances for Wales, Gareth retired from rugby in 1978. After years in the public eye, he and Maureen booked a holiday in St Davids for them and their young boys. The holiday was such a hit, they returned every Summer for more than forty years. Gareth and Maureen begin with a visit to a shire horse farm. A century ago there were more than a million shire horses in the UK, but today there are under 3,000 and the farm is working to safeguard the species. Gareth and Maureen meet the horses before finding out who can master driving a shire horse-drawn carriage. Later, watching the St Davids rugby team train on the beach brings back memories for Gareth who, as a young player, did the same with the Welsh team at Aberavon beach. The couple are delighted to catch up with old friend, Dai Chant, the medal winning former coxswain of the St Davids’ lifeboat. The old lifeboat station he worked from has been abandoned in favour of a state-of-the-art station next door. They see the new lifeboat launch as the crew go out on exercise. Catching a boat to Ramsey Island, Gareth and Maureen visit the remote bird sanctuary and discover the colony of razorbills – or ‘razorblades’ as Maureen call them - on the precipitous wild cliffs on the far side of the island.
For the last of their new adventures, Maureen has arranged a trip the spectacular Brecon Beacons. But it’s not the usual walks amid epic mountain scenery on the agenda. In a first for both, the childhood sweethearts enlist in tank school. After donning cam cream and military gear, the couple get a lesson in controlling a full-sized tank. Maureen’s keen to see if the new vehicle can pick up speed. Their accommodation is another new experience – a shepherd’s hut complete with lush rolling hills for a view and sheep for neighbours. Gareth is a keen clay pigeon shooter and wants Maureen to try her hand at the sport. After getting some tips from farmer and Welsh champion clay shooter, Rhys Lewis, the competitive pair are both determined not to be the one to miss. Meanwhile, Gareth and Maureen’s inability to take one in-focus photograph of their adventures continues. Photographer Rhian Mai meets them at a spectacular natural cave to help hone their skills. The weekend ends where the original adventure began – on one of Wales’ most beautiful canals. Hopes start high as, with a little help, they manage to stay on course and not crash. But it isn’t long before the barge runs aground and the battle resumes to determine who was responsible.
