Notes from the Welsh Woodlands
High in The Cambrian Mountains sits Capel Soar y Mynydd, a white stone chapel that was built as a place of worship for the highland sheep farmers who live in this remote area known as the Elenydd.
Few people worship here anymore but the chapel remains as a testament to the community that shaped the land in this part of Wales.
High in the Elenydd region of The Cambrian Mountains sits a lonely red phone box – surely the most remote site in all of Wales. It’s a landmark in this desolate highland and an important marker for hikers navigating the challenging Cambrian Way trail that runs the length of Wales.
Here’s the latest video dispatch from my Liminal Forest journey through Wales exploring how we restore balance with nature.
In this latest video I head to Cors Caron, a nature reserve of extraordinary ecological value located on the banks of the River Teifi between Tregaron and Pontrhydfendigaid in Ceredigion, Wales.
A thousand years ago the monks from the Cistercian abbey at Strata Florida would come and work the land here at Cors Caron. That’s because it is one of the most important raised peat bogs in all of Wales and it provided them with fuel.
Today, the aim is to protect the peat, not dig it up, because raised bogs like Cors Caron are incredibly efficient at trapping carbon dioxide and so combat the climate crisis.
In the latest Liminal Forest video I visited Llyn y Fan Fach, the glacial lake that sits in in the shadow of the Picws Du, the tallest of the Carmarthen Fans that make up the westerly edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
I trekked up to Llyn y Fan Fach to explore its most famous legend – that it was the home to the Lady of the Lake and how she was wooed by a humble farmer. Their offspring would become The Physicians of Myddfai.
Nowadays, Big Pharma depends on nature’s resources to design and make some of the most important drugs and medical products our society depends on. Over a thousand years ago, three Welsh doctors, The Physicians of Myddfai built a reputation as being the finest herbal doctors in Europe.
This year, wave upon wave of staycationers have travelled through Wales, experiencing all it has to offer in terms of nature, the outdoors, the beaches, history, folklore and, of course woodlands and forests.
One favourite destination is the Hafod Hotel situated right on the Devil’s Bridge falls in Pontarfynach. But did you know that over 150 years ago, Devil’s Bridge got its name because of another era of staycationers, the Victorians, flocked here..
I tell more of the story in this video clip.
This is going to be contentious but I’m going to say it – Carreg Cennen is the best castle in Wales!
I know, that’s some statement given the sheer number of castles that were built across the land. Some of you may say Caerphilly is best, others Caernarfon or Harlech or Dinefwr. But for me, nothing beats the wildness and the imposing presence of Carreg Cennen, perched on the high cliff above the river Cennen and looking out over the Black Mountain to the east, the rolling Carmarthenshire countryside to the west, the coastline to the south and the Cambrian mountains to the north.
In this latest video clip I explore a bit of Carreg Cennen’s history and how it has inspired famous artists like JMW Turner. I also tell you a bit about the split personality of the forest that sits below the castle.
Return to My Trees 