The Welsh M1

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The Welsh M1: 1. Heading South

1. Heading South

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Welsh M1, 1. Heading South

Cerys Matthews drives the A470, the highway running through the heart of Wales.

4 Extra Debut. Musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews drives the A470, through the heart of Wales, in search of 'Welshness'. From 2014.

The A470 runs nearly 200 miles through the heart of Wales from Llandudno to Cardiff Bay. 

It was created to connect north and south of the country, yet it takes four hours – sometimes more - to make the journey. It's certainly not the fastest road in the UK but to drive the A470 is to truly understand the landscape, history, culture and language of Wales.

In the first of two programmes, Cerys Matthews sets out on a road trip in search of a nation's identity and the essence of Welshness. She travels through the Welsh-speaking heartland of the north-west, meeting writers, musicians and historians. She falls into conversation on the streets of Llanrwst, encounters poetry in the paving stones of Blaenau Ffestiniog and discovers the roots of one of her favourite folk songs on the high passes of the A470 beyond Dolgellau.

The A470's route is ancient, its northern sections following the old Roman road, Sarn Helen. 

Yet it's also modern: the politics of Wales are complicated by the challenge of bringing together a whole nation both geographically and symbolically. The road was created in 1979 by re-designating older roads. And that's why this tarmac tribute to nationhood winds back and forth across the Welsh landscape, apparently reluctant to reach its final destination.

As she travels south, Cerys hears many different definitions and descriptions of the A470: a road to nowhere; the road Wales deserves; a highway of loss; the Welsh M1.

Producer: Jeremy Grange

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.

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In search of a nation's history, identity and the essence of Welshness, Cerys Matthews sets off on a road trip along the A470, the highway running through the heart of Wales

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