Watersports - Weathering the Wye

BBC weatherman Derek Brockway takes to the river
Whatever the weather Derek Brockway brings a little ray of sunshine to our television screens every evening as he presents the weather forecast on BBC Wales Today. Originally from Barry, Derek now has a home in Miskin - a stone’s throw away from the Cardiff studio where he spends his days preparing charts, satellite and radar pictures for the lunchtime and nightly television forecasts along with the weather bulletins for BBC Radio Wales

His interest in the weather stretches back to childhood, triggered by the heatwave in the summer of 1976 when he was an 8 year old boy. He remembers driving his parents mad as he channel hopped, keeping up with the weather reports of the rising temperatures and scenes of Britain sizzling.

As his interest grew he built a weather station in his parents back garden so he could measure rainfall.

As word spread of his new found talent friends and neighbours would ask him for a forecast before going on holidays. All through school it was his ambition to work with the weather. When he was 14 he contacted the Cardiff Met Office, the visit reinforced his desire and laid the foundations for his career.

After leaving school he studied at the Met Office College in Reading. Afterwards the Met Office took him on as an observer working primarily at Cardiff Weather Centre and also at Cardiff and Birmingham Airports. During the course of his career preparing daily forecasts his customers have been varied. Local councils need the forecasts especially in winter to find out when to send the gritters out. Railtrack in case there’s going to be snow on the lines. Gas and Electricity companies to enable them to have more fuel available if there is a cold spell ahead. And even supermarket chains that need to know when a heatwave is forecast so the store shelves are filled with salads, barbecue products etc.

Being able to understand and forecast the weather is an essential skill needed to assist our Forces, for 10 months in 1983-84 Derek was stationed in the Falklands observing weather for RAF airc raft. Derek said “ I worked long hours, but it was a great experience. It gave me the chance to meet the Islanders who welcomed me into their homes. I spent a lot of time out-doors.

It’s a pretty island with lots of wildlife. I was fortunate to see many penguins and sea lions. It was quite a different routine to the daily life in a city office.”

During 1996 whilst living in London Derek gave his first appearance in front of the camera on GMTV presenting the weather across the UK. Derek said “I was very nervous on national television so I was glad it was Sunday morning when not too many people are up that early.” He then moved back to Cardiff and produced and directed the weather forecasts for Sian Lloyd. Then 4 years ago just by being in the right place at the right time it became his turn to appear on our screen.

But what does this man with his jovial manner and sunny smile do when he’s not following the wind and rain? He likes to be playing in the elements, taking part in a host of activities including skiing, walking, caving and white water rafting.

Although Derek is the first to admit that recently, as work commitments increase, he doesn’t always find the time to play out-doors. This was about to change; on a misty morning in October we took him along to Black Mountain Activities in the village of Three Cocks near Hay on Wye. The centre was established in 1992 and is run by brothers Carl and Hugh Durham. There are a variety of activities available, including gorge walking, caving, abseiling, mountain biking and white water rafting. However, today’s activity was going to be a bit more leisurely, open canoeing in a Canadian canoeon the River Wye.

It had been an early start for Derek, especially as this was his day off, and consequently he looked a little bleary eyed. A feature that would soon change once out on the river, splashed with the cool water of an autumn morning he would definitely be awake. As the Canadian canoeis no ‘one man band’, accompanying Derek on the trip was Ken Ryan, that well known Pembrokeshire hunk and good all round guy.

There were a group of 10 taking to the waters accompanied by two instructors. Everyone is provided with wet weather gear and a life jacket. Dressed like a troupe of red Teletubbies it was time to hop in the mini bus for a 5 minute ride to the village of Glasbury to begin the 5 and a half mile trip down river to the town of books, Hay on Wye.

The first obstacle was unloading the canoes off the trailer and manhandling them over a gate to reach the riverbank. Once there instructor Dafydd Jevons gathered the group together to go through some basic techniques of paddling the 15 foot canoedown the river avoiding any obstacles and hopefully keeping afloat. Instruction continues throughout the journey and anybody over the age of 8 can participate.

Both Derek and Ken had some experience canoeing; they looked confident as they pushed off from shore, paddles at the ready for the adventure ahead. Ken at the rear to steer and Derek at the front on the lookout for rocks, rapids or overhead branches that may get in the way. Neither of them were planning a dip in the cold water.

After an hour and a half it was time for a break and the group pulled into the banks of the Holly Bush pub. Derek and Ken were still dry unlike one of the other pairs who had already taken a plunge. But there was no guarantee of staying dry as raindrops started to fall. Listening to the weather forecast the previous evening I remember Derek saying “Early morning fog was clearing to sunshine, (but as if to cover himself), there may be a possibility of a weather front that had resulted in storms over Spain heading our way.”

He held a finger out to catch a raindrop and brought it to his lips and said, “Ah I was right - it tastes of Rioja.”

I asked him how the journey had been thus far, “That was so relaxing I was nearly falling asleep. It was very tranquil, the river changes so gradually, we’ve seen wild geese and swans, also other canoeists. All this paddling has given me an appetite.”

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