WELSH learners can put their best foot forward with TV personality and nature observer Iolo Williams in the Vale of Clwyd this spring.

Over the next few months, BBC Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams will be leading nature walks for Welsh learners, giving them an opportunity to get to know fluent Welsh speakers in their area in an informal environment.

The Ar Droed (on foot) series of nature walks is a joint project between Mentrau Iaith Cymru and the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

Four walks will be held between April and July in different areas of Wales - one of these will be in the Denbigh area on May 8.

The walks are part of Mentrau Iaith Cymru’s #MiliwnOGamau (a million steps) challenge – a group effort to walk a million steps between April and July.

The hope is to ensure plenty of opportunities to socialise in Welsh, helping to reach the target of a million speakers.

As well as the four walks with Iolo Williams, which will be open to 20 individuals each, there will be numerous other local walks held on the same days to reach the million steps target and ensure plenty of opportunities to socialise in Welsh.

Iwan Hywel, Mentrau Iaith Cymru’s team leader, said: “We are so privileged to have Iolo leading these walks for us.

"His knowledge of nature is second-to-none, and as we saw when he was Steve Backshall’s mentor on S4C’s celebrity language learning programme ‘Iaith ar Daith’, he’s a great Welsh teacher.

“I also believe that conversations are much easier when you are active and in the fresh air and this will be an opportunity for learners to enjoy using their Welsh outdoors, while learning new words and immersing themselves in nature.

“It’s a shame we can’t carbon copy Iolo and have him leading every walk across Wales!

"But we will be offering walks with local leaders in every corner of Wales.”

Iolo is a regular presenter on BBC2’s Autumnwatch, Winterwatch and Springwatch and has hosted numerous nature series on S4C.

He is an experienced ornithologist and nature observer.

Iolo is also very supportive of the Welsh language and of Welsh learners, and during the first lockdown, he shared a series of 30-second Welsh language videos on Facebook, sharing tips to attract wildlife to the garden and what to watch out for.

Iolo said: “I am looking forward to leading these walks to show the wonders of nature at the start of the summer – from the flowers in the hedgerows and the fields to the distinctive calls of birds at this time of the year.

“I was lucky enough as a youngster to spend a lot of time walking in the countryside with my grandfather, who was able to pass on his knowledge of Welsh bird and plant names to me – these walks are an opportunity for me to share these beautiful names, full of meaning, with Welsh learners, who may not yet have come across them in their classes.”

Helen Prosser, director of teaching and learning at the National Centre for Learning Welsh, added: “Creating opportunities for our learners to enjoy using their Welsh outside the classroom is one of the National Centre’s key aims, and we’re delighted Iolo Williams is able to lead these nature walks for us.

"As well as learning more rich and varied Welsh vocabulary, these walks will be a fantastic opportunity for learners to meet and socialise with other learners and fluent speakers in their area.”

For more information and to register for these free nature walks, e-mail ardroed@mentrauiaith.cymru