Peniarth Isaf

Llanfyllin

There are no shops in Bwlch-y-Cibau, so Llanfyllin, three miles away, is our nearest metropolis.

Llanfyllin was granted its charter as a borough in 1293 by Llewelyn ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, ruler of this part of Powys. This gave the community of just 1400 people the right to call itself a town with its own elected Mayor.

The town is named after an Irish bishop who founded a religious community (Llan) in the Cain Valley, where he introduced the practice of baptism by total immersion to Wales. In fact he spent so much time splashing around in the local spring that the people nicknamed him Sant mewn llyn, (the saint in the lake) later corrupted to Saint Myllin.

St Myllin's Church is built, unusually, of red brick. Apparently it has near perfect acoustics for music and song.

Llanfyllin is a beautiful town set in rolling hills. It is locally regarded as one of the most pleasant places to live in Powys with one of the lowest crime rates in the UK. In and around the square there is a real bakery, organic vegetable shop, a hardware store, post office, chemist, a tiny spar supermarket, butchers, newsagents, florist, gift shop and cafe. Market day is Thursday. A small industrial estate on the edge of town provides local employment, although the vast majority of the townspeople seem to be involved one way or another in hill farming.

The town has a thriving civic society, a film club, and its own lively agricultural show in the grounds of Bodfach Hall. In summer, Bodfach becomes the venue for home fixtures of the cricket club. Local children come from miles around to school. Primary and secondary schools are on the same site, and the reputation of both is extremely high. The busy leisure centre and swimming pool are shared between school and town.

Musically there are two big events each year. The Gwyl Gerdd Llanfyllin Music Festival was founded in 1971. The Allegri String Quartet, together with other musicians of international calibre visit Llanfyllin during the summer months to perform classical chamber music in St Myllin's Church.

And at the other extreme there is the Workhouse Festival, voted the best festival in the UK in 2006. So every summer Llanfyllin is invaded by thousands for; "The most eclectic, upbeat festival ever to have hit Wales. A true extravaganza of live music, cabaret, DJs, workshops and kids entertainment"

Finally, the best loved and well known landmark of the town is not a fine old building or a mountain view. It is a single tree, high on the skyline above the workhouse. The Lonely Tree has inspired both photographers and painters but is remembered most by generations of schoolchildren as the high point of PE teacher Tom Ellis's grueling cross-country runs.

Lake Vyrnwy

Lake Vyrnwy, (Llyn Efyrnwy in Welsh) is a man-made reservoir created to supply Liverpool with clean water. Work on the magnificent Victorian stone dam began in 1881 and completed in 1888. It is 144 feet high and 127 feet thick at the base. The narrow road over the top is 1172 feet long and gives fine views over the lake on one side and down into the valley below the dam.



Water flows over the crest just below the level of the road and forms a curtain the full width of the dam. Water falls into a 'stilling basin' which stops the flow from eroding the foundations. From there it passes over a weir and into the River Vyrnwy. The towers of the dam house a small hydroelectric generator and the valve gear which controls the flow of water into the river.

The actual inlet to the pipes is in the Victorian gothic style Straining Tower emerging from the lake a few hundred yards away. The tower is 200 feet high although 50 feet or so is underwater. 9 foot diameter cast iron pipes carry the water to Liverpool, 70 miles away.

Given the remote location in the Berwyn mountains it is not surprising that the area is relatively isolated but it does attract a steady stream of visitors in the summer. The circumference of the lake is 11 miles, so the road is frequently used to stage half marathons for various charities.

Other visitors come to enjoy the birdwatching. The estate is run jointly by Severn Trent and the RSPB who have set up an information centre at one end of the dam and a series of hides at various points around the lake. They also manage the extensive grouse moors on the surrounding hills.



Another attraction is the developing sculpture trail below the dam. Most of this is the work of Andy Hancock who has done much to encourage local communities to participate in public art. His beautiful website is here.

The flooding of the valley meant that the old village of Llanwddyn was submerged. Liverpool Corporation paid for a new village to be located in the valley just below the dam. Even the bodies from the village churchyard were dug up and reburied in new community.

In times of drought the foundations and field walls of the old Llanwddyn can be seen from the shore of the lake.

Pennant Melangell

Pennant Melangell is a hidden valley surrounded by the Berwyn Mountains and reached only by a two mile track from the little village of Llangynog. This is the local legend of Melangell, patron saint of hares and protector of wildlife, as recounted here.

"Imagine a party of huntsmen in the thick, green undergrowth of a small, wooded valley. The dogs are barking as they begin to follow the scent of a hare. One of the huntsmen sounds the horn. Riding at the front is the local prince. The time is 607 A.D. The place is the Pennant Valley in the kingdom of Powys, in central Wales.

The hare disappears into a huge thicket of undergrowth, and the hunters prepare to follow. Then suddenly strange things begin to happen. The dogs turn back in fear. The huntsman with the horn finds he cannot sound a blast, yet he cannot take the horn from his lips. The prince, brave and proud, leaps from his horse. He will not show fear in the face of magic. He draws his sword and begins to cut his way through the brambles and shrubs.

In a circular clearing in the centre of the thicket stands a young woman. She is dressed very simply. She stands calmly, radiating a sense of peace. At her feet the hare has crouched down for safety. Prince Brochwell of Powys has just come face to face with Melangell, the daughter of an Irish warrior.

The legend tells us that Melangell refused a pre-arranged marriage to an Irish warrior chieftain. She fled to Wales and began a life of prayer, living in a cave on the side of the Pennant Valley. As she was drawn deeper into the spiritual life, animals began to come to her in complete trust. Around her the world was restored to Paradise.

Prince Brochwell granted her the valley as a place of prayer and refuge for ever. Gradually a small convent grew up, and a church was built. When Melangell died, the nuns placed her body within the church. The holy woman came to be known as a saint. No one knows how long the convent lasted, but archaeologists have shown that nuns were still being buried outside the church in the 9th and 10th Century.

Around 1160 A.D. a new stone church was built, with a shrine where people could come to venerate the bones of Saint Melangell. Pilgrims began to arrive, and miracles of healing took place. The valley was noted as a place of peace, a sanctuary for hares, a comfort to the sick, a glimpse of heaven.

Then came the upheavals and pain of the Reformation. The shrine was desecrated, and chunks of masonry from the shrine were hurled out of the church. Often the relics of saints were destroyed at this time by the reformers, but Saint Melangell was reburied in the floor of the church. Pilgrims were no longer encouraged to make the long journey into the Welsh mountains to visit this holy place.

Centuries passed, and times changed. Hardly anyone lived near the tiny church in the hidden valley. The few local sheep farmers could not afford to repair the building. By the 1980's the church was almost derelict. Then in 1988 work began to restore the church and shrine of Saint Melangell. Many parts of the ancient shrine were found built into walls, or on neighbouring farms. New masonry was carved to match the old stonework. Today, the church and shrine are beautiful once more. Hundreds of pilgrims flock to pray there and to ask for the prayers of the early Celtic holy woman. A centre for healing and rest has been established a few yards from the church, so that Saint Melangell's work may continue."

Lake Bala

Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid in Welsh), at 4 miles long, up to a mile wide and 150 feet deep, is the largest natural lake in Wales. At the head of the lake are the Aran Mountains, Aran Benllyn (2905') and Aran Fawddwy (2970'). At the lower end of the lake is the small town of Bala in the county of Gwynedd.

Bala is the home of the National Whitewater Centre which uses the nearby river Tryweryn for canoeing, kayaking and river rafting.

The lake itself is popular with day trippers who tend to stop at the visitor centre. Here there is a gently sloping pebbly beach with a tea shop and toilets.



Canoes kayaks and row boats can be hired but most people bring their own. Power boats are not allowed on the lake except as safety boats by the lake warden or by the sailing club.

A narrow gauge steam railway runs up and down the south west shore of the lake between Bala Sailing Cub and the village of Llanuwchllyn .

Bala Sailing Club organises races every weekend in the summer and it can get fairly crowded. There is also a Catamaran Club at the quieter top end of the lake.



The lake is popular for fishing. There are pike perch and brown trout as well as a rare species unique to the lake, the gwyniad, which has evolved independently since the lake was created during the ice ages.

Powis Castle

Powis Castle, located to the south of Welshpool, stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Severn Valley. This magnificent red gritstone castle was once a medieval military fortress for the Welsh Princes of Powys and parts of it date back to about 1200. Continuously occupied for over 700 years, Powis survived the upheavals of the English Civil War and has been the home of the Herbert and Clive families since 1587.

Extensive building work including the addition of a magnificent ballroom was carried out from 1772 by the young George Herbert, second Earl of Powis. Other rooms were redecorated in the fashionable classical style. George Herbert died in 1801, deeply in debt, but fortunately his sister, Henrietta Antonia Herbert had married Clive of India's son. Their own son was then heir to both the castle and the Clive fortune, which allowed it to be properly maintained. The house contains one of the finest collections of paintings and furniture in Wales and includes the Clive Museum, where many unique and beautiful Indian works of art are displayed.

The castle underwent further extensive refurbishment in 1815-18, and again from 1902. Although bequeathed to the National Trust in 1952, it remained in part a private home until 1988.

The 17th-century terraced gardens were laid out under the influence of the Italian and French styles.

There is a beautiful classic orangery, home to exotic and mediterranean plants, and supporting a fine collection of lead sculptures:



Above this is the fernery, a series of damp and shady grottos planted with giant fern species such as Woodwardia.



The castle walls and terraces shelter a variety of rare or tender sub-tropical plants including bananas and the chinese rice paper plant, but the garden is most famous for its huge yew trees clipped into strange shapes reminiscent of sea cliffs



Away from the formal gardens there are acres of wild meadows, woodland, and this magnificent lake, planted with skunk cabbage and Gunnera.