Iolo Williams is on a journey through Western Europe in the new series Antur y Gorllewin starting on S4C on Wednesday, 11 January.
In the six-part series, the journey will lead us from the Azores Islands to Iceland and will visit Portugal, Spain, France, Brittany, the Channel Islands, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland's west coast, the Hebrides, Orkney Islands, and the Faroe Islands.
These are some of the wildest and most remote areas in Western Europe and every location features pearls of nature: some which are under threat and others which are disappearing quickly due to climate change and man's influence. But there is also hope as we see certain things being reintroduced into the wild.
In the first programme the journey starts in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There, Iolo swims with sharks, manta rays, and barracudas.
"I love doing these sorts of activities - I enjoy diving, climbing and caving and I'm so lucky I do all those things and more in this fantastic series."We're going to experience spectacular coastlines; travel through the vast wetlands; climb mountains; explore forests; see some awesome caves; and come face to face with the amazing life under the sea.
"It's a really interesting series because we go to areas and islands within easy reach of Britain, but which have very diverse wildlife. It was such a special experience I had to pinch myself at times!"
Throughout the series Iolo learns about the nature of the landscape as well as the wildlife. He also meets naturalists and numerous local people who know the area well.
"It's important to meet the local people because they give us so much information about these places. Without them the series wouldn't exist - and some of the people we met were real characters," he adds.
In the first episode, Iolo also has the privilege of swimming with sperm whales off Pico Island in the Azores, 900 miles west of Portugal in the middle of the Atlantic.
"It was an amazing sight - three sperm whales together. Not everyone is given permission to swim with them, and it was a real privilege for me," Iolo explains.
© 2012 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales