Conwy couple in Channel 4's Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker

Ryan and Lowri are currently starring in Channel 4’s National Trust: Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker which sees seven applicants battle to become the new tenants of unique hill farm Llyndy Isaf, Nant Gwynant by completing real-life farming tasks.

Llyndy Isaf has been in the care of National Trust Cymru since the charity bought the farm in 2012 after a successful public appeal.

Ryan and Lowri live just 20 miles away from the farm. The husband and wife duo, who have two young children, hope the tenancy will be a chance to combine Ryan’s passion for hill farming and Lowri’s desire to welcome tourists to the farm.

Ryan is a first generation farmer but has built up his livestock throughout his career and hopes to bring them to the farm.

Ryan said: "My passion is hill farming. There is something pretty magical.. You sit on a rock and think... I wonder who else has done this over the last 200 years?

"I don't see it as a job, I see it as a way of life. I'm very proud to be a farmer."

Lowri, who said she was proud to be a farmer's wife, said: "When we met he started off with two sheep, now it has turned into hundreds."

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Across eight episodes, the prospective tenants will be eliminated one by one until there are only two hopefuls left. 

The final two will then be invited to have a final meeting with the National Trust, with one being selected to become the owner of the farm.

The applicants, which are from Cheshire, Ceredigion and Gwynedd, Buckinghamshire and Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Essex and Gloucestershire [in addition to the couple from Conwy], have all gone through an application process. This involved visiting the farm, presenting a business plan and demonstrating how equipped they are to take on the tenancy [in the same way as any Farm Business Tenancy opportunity with the National Trust]. Shortlisted applicants also took part in a three-week special selection process.

Trystan Edwards, general manager for Eryri, National Trust Cymru, said:
“It’s a privilege to have a farm in Wales selected for this programme. Llyndy is an incredible landscape, from the shores of Llyn Dinas to the heather clad ridge of Mynydd Llyndy, it holds a special place for nature, people and history."

National Trust: Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker is available to view on Channel 4 on Saturdays at 7pm. Readers can catch up on 4oD.