Guide to Rural Wales - South Powys

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A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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LOCATOR MAP Llandinam Pant Mawr Ponterwyd

Astonon-Clun Tylwch

Newcastle

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POWYS 

Lledrod

New Invention

Knighton

Llanbister

Cwmystwyth

3 Adforton

Bleddfa

Rhayader

Nantmel

Whitton

Crossgates Elan Village

CEREDIGION  Tregaron

Clun Hopton Heath

Llanbadarn Fynydd

Pant-y-dwr

Pontrhydfendigaid

Presteigne

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Llandrindod Wells

New Radnor

Titley

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Newbridge on Wye

Pentrellwyn-llwyd

Builth Wells

Whitneyon-Wye Willersley

Upper Chapel

Hay-on-Wye

Erwood

6

Glasbury

Cynghordy

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12 Crugybar

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8

9

10

Peterchurch

Three Cocks

Blaen Dyryn

Llandovery

Weobley

Alltmawr

Llanwrtyd Wells Cilycwm

Kington

Newchurch

Beulah Llangamarch Wells

Pembridge

Walton Llanfihangelnant-Melan

Pumsaint

Lydbury North

Acton

Llangurig

Devil's Bridge Ysbyty Ystwyth

Dolfor

Llanidloes

Lower Chapel

Turnastone

14 Pwllgloyw

Talgarth

15 Llanwrda Myddfai

Brecon

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Llangadog Maerdy

Trecastle Sennybridge

Llangors

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Defynnog

Llanthony

Pontrilas

Twynllanan Libanus

Crai

Llandeilo

Ewyas Harold

Bwlch

18 Crickhowell Llangynidr

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19

Glyntawe

Brynaman

Abergavenny

Abercraf

Brynmawr

Gwaun-CaeGurwen GlynNeath

Ystalyfera

Llanvetherin

Merthyr Tydfil

Tredegar

Hirwaun

Ebbw Vale

Blaenavon

BLAENAU GWENT 

MERTHYR 

Pontardawe

New Tredegar

ADVERTISERS AND PLACES OF INTEREST Accommodation Food and Drink ,

2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 10|

Tower House Gallery, Knighton

 pg 8 

The Knighton Hotel, Knighton

 pg 9 

Bryn Heulog Guest House, Llanfairwaterdine

 pg 10

Radnorshire Arms Hotel, Presteigne

 pg 11

Swan At Hay, Hay on Wye

 pg 13

Old Black Lion, Hay on Wye

 pg 14

The Granary Cafe Restaurant, Hay on Wye

 pg 17 

11| Holly Bush Inn and Campsite, Llanigon 12| River Cafe and B&B at Glasbury, Glasbury on Wye 13| Pilgrims Tea Rooms, Brecon 14|  Alltybrain Farm Cottages, Llandefaelog Fach, nr Brecon

15| Pwllgloyw Arms, Pwllgloyw, nr Brecon 17| The Courtroom Café, Crickhow Crickhowell ell 19| Hall Farm Barn, Llangenny, nr Crickhowell

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

 pg 18   pg 18   pg 24  pg 25   pg 25   pg 29   pg 33

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Gifts

1| Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival,

9| Number Two, Hay on Wye

Llandrindod Wells

12| River Cafe and B&B at Glasbury, Glasbury on Wye

 pg 4  pg 18 

Antiques and Restoration 16| Trecastle Antiques and Salvage Centre, Trecastle

 pg 28 

Arts and Crafts 2| 8| 9| 16|

Tower House Gallery, Knighton The Hay Makers, Hay on Wye

Home and Garden 9| Number Two, Hay on Wye 16| Trecastle Antiques and Salvage Centre, Trecastle

 pg 15 

 pg 16   pg 28 

Jewellery 9| Number Two, Hay on Wye

 pg 8 

 pg 16 

 pg 16 

Places of Interest 1| Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival,

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 S   O  pg 16  Number Two, Hay on Wye  pg 4  U Llandrindod Wells  pg 28  Trecastle Antiques and Salvage Centre, Trecastle 12| River Cafe and B&B at Glasbury, Glasbury on Wye  pg 18   T   H Fashions Specialist Food and Drink Shops  P  9| Number Two, Hay on Wye  pg 16  8|  pg 31  O  Welsh Venison Centre, Bwlch, nr Crickhowell  W  Y  S   A  N  D  T   H  At one time the southern southern part of the county   within the park’s 519 square miles. To the  E of Powys was best best known for its four spa east of the Brecon Beacons rise the  B  towns, Llandrindod Wells, Buil Builth th Wells, interlocking peaks of the Black Mountains,  R   E Llangammarch Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells.  which stretch to the English border; to the  C  O  Today  T oday,, the lure of sulphurous waters has lost  west is Black Mountain, which, though its  N much muc h of its appeal but but all four of them name is singular, refers to an unpopulated retain a charm and elegance that seems to be range of barren, smooth-humped peaks. peaks. One  B   E an intrinsic characteristic of spa towns of the area’s area’s most impressive natural features  A  C everywhere. Surrounding these elegant towns lies underground – the largest complex of   O is a varied countryside ranging from the underground caverns in northern Europe can  N  S 

South Powys & Brecon Beacons

bulky Cambrian Mountains in the west to fertile farmland in the east. Close to Rhayader are the spectacular reservoirs and dams that make up the scenic Elan Valley. Built at the end of the 19th century century to supply   water to the West Midlands, the reservoirs are a great feat of Victoria Victorian n engineering, engineering, and the surrounding hills are home to one of  Britain’s rarest and most beautiful birds – the red kite. Further south lies the Brecon Beacons National Park, which takes its name from the distinctively shaped sandstone mountains of  the Brecon Beacons. Two other ranges lie

be explored just outside Craig-y-Nos.

Perhaps because the population here has always been sparse, there are few buildings of  special note. A major exception is Brecon Cathedral, Cathe dral, “half churc church h of God and half  half  castle against the Welsh”. Museums of  particular interest include the National Cycle Collection in Llandrindod Wells, and bookworms will surely find irresistible a visit to Hay-on-Wye, the ‘second-hand book capital of the world’. Equally, Equally, aficionados of  eccentric sports will be drawn to Llanwrtyd  Wells in August for the annual World Bog  Snorkelling Championship.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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Llandrindod Wells A Old Parish Church of Llandrindod E Bailey Einion

E Abercamlo Bog

I Victorian Festival

D Radnor Forest

A Parish Church of the Holy Trinity B Radnorshire Museum B National Cycle Collection C Heart of Wales Line

C Castell Collen

D Rock Park

 The most elegant elegant of the spa towns towns of mid Wales, Llandrindod Wells is still a popular place that has retained retained much of its Victorian and Edwardian character and architecture. It

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 G  was only a scattering scattering of cottages and two  u  i   churches until 1749 when the first hotel was  d    e  built here. It had several hundred rooms and  t    o   R  its facilities included hairdressers, milliners  u  r  and glovers. There was a billiards room and  a large function rooms for balls and assemblies.  l    W  a  And visitors could also sample the spa  l    e   s   waters, which had been known about since  S   O Roman times. But it was not until the coming coming of the Central Wales Railway in 1866, along with the  Victorians’ enthusiasm for taking the waters that Llandrindod Wells really developed into a spa town. At the peak of the town’s town’s prosperity  some 80,000 visitors a year came to take the

Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival Victorian Festival Office, Wadham House,  Middleton Street, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 5DG Tel: 01597 823441 e-mail : [email protected] website: www.vicfest.co.uk Each year Llandrindod Wells hosts a Victorian festival . Held in the last full week of August before the Bank Holiday, this popular festival is going from strength to strength and has now become one of the premier Victorian festivals in Britain today. As Llandrindod was a thriving spa resort in the Victorian era it is natural to base the festival on the Victorian theme. The town’s unspoilt architecture provides a perfect backdrop to the celebrations and, on Temple Gardens, there is an ideal venue for the many different types of street entertainment provided free for the visitors and townsfolk throughout the day. The aim of the festival is to provide a family fun festival and to cater for all ages and tastes, whilst keeping to a Victorian theme. Attracting some 40,000 visitors to a town that has a population of only 5,000 is no mean feat, but the apparent ease with which it is done is largely due to the transformation achieved in the town’s reversion to the Victorian era. The effect of horses and carriages, Victorian window displays and the townspeople and some visitors sporting a whole range of appropriate costumes creates an atmosphere, the effect of which is nothing short of miraculous. At the end of the nine days, the proceedings are closed in the grandest of manners with the moving torchlight procession and fireworks display over the lake - a spectacle not to be missed.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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 waters in an attempt to obtain relief relief from ailments ranging from gout, rheumatism and anaemia to diabetes, dyspepsia and liver trouble. Special baths and heat and massage treatments were also available.  The most famous famous of the individual individual spas in Llandrindod during its heyday, Rock Park  is a typically well laid out Victorian park where  visitors coming to the town would take a walk  between their treatments. With particularly  fine tree planting and shrubbery, the park is still a very pleasant place.  Today’s visitors can find out more about the town’s history at the Radnorshire Museum in Temple Street where there is a display of Victor Victorian ian artefacts, artefacts, a large collection collectio n of photogra photographs phs and exhibits on social history. There’s also a collection of  relics excavated from Castell Collen, a Roman Roma n fort to the northwest of the town that was occupied from the 1st century  through to the early 4th century and whose earthworks are clearly detectable today. Located in the Automobile Palace, a distinctive Art Deco brick garage topped by  rows of white lions, lions, is the National Cycle Collection, an exhibition that covers almost 200 years of cycling history history through an amazing collection of more than 200 bicycles and tricycles. Some date back as far as 1818, and the collection spans every development from the hobby horse and bone-shaker to the high-tech machines of today today.. Also here are old photographs and posters, historic replicas, the Dunlop tyre story and displays on cycling stars. Each year in the last full week of August, Llandrindod Wells hosts a  Victorian Festiv Festival al , swelling the population population of the town from its resident 5000 to more than 40,000. Horses and carriages, Victorian window displays,

townspeople and visitors in period garb, all contribute to the jollity, which culminates in a torchlight procession and a fireworks display  over the lake. And the Royal Welsh Show, the largest agricultural show in the UK, is held in  July each year at Llanelwedd, six miles south of Llandrindod Wells, Wells,  There are still two Anglican churches serving Llandrindod Wells. The Old Parish Church of of Llandri Llandrindod ndod (“The Church of  the Holy Trinity”), just outside the town, is 13th-century, though its roof was later removed to encourage people to attend the new church in the town. It was rebuilt in 1894.  The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity Trinity  within the town was built in 1871, and is a much larger and grander affair.

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 S   O  U  T   H  P   O  W  Y  S   A  N  D  T   Just outside Llandrindod Wells, Wells, off the A44  H  E Rhayader road, there is free access to  B  pasturee that  R   Abercamlo Bog, 12 acres of wet pastur  E are home to water-loving plants, breeding   C  O birds such as the whinchat and reed bunting, and butterflies. Not far away, at Ithon gorge, is  N  B  Bailey Einion, woodland home to lady fern,  E  A golden saxifrage, pied flycatchers,  C  woodpeckers and cardinal beetles.  O  N  Wales is famous for its amazing little  S  narrow-gauge railways, but it also has some full-size trains, trains, too. One of the most popular tourist lines is the Heart of Wales of  Wales Line that runs from Shrewsbury to Swansea, ‘one line that visits two viaducts, three castles, four spa towns, five counties, six tunnels and seven bridges’. Dolau, six miles to the northeast of  Llandrindod Wells, is the best starting point on the line to walk to the top of  Radnor Forest, the highest point in the old county  of Radnorshire. Llanbister Road Road and Llangunllo are nearby request halts ideally  placed for discovering the remoter scenic delights of the area.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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Around Llandrindod Wells ABBEY-CWM-HIR

6 miles miles N of Llan Llandri drindod ndod Wells Wells off off the A483 A483 A Cwmhir Abbey

A The Hall at Abbey-Cwm-Hir

Standing rather forlornly in the lonely  Clywedog Valley are the scant remains of  Cwmhir Abbey, founded in 1143 by the Cistercians who had grandiose plans to build one of the largest churches churches in Britain. Britain. They  planned a nave more than 242ft long – only  the cathedrals of Durham, Winchester and  York have a longer nave. Unfortunately, an attack by Henry III in 1231 forced them to abandon their plans. There is a memorial stone on the altar to Llywelyn the Last that marks, many believe, the grave grave of his headless body –  the head had been despatched to London.

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Cwmhir Abbey, Abbey-Cwm-Hir

RHAYADER

6½ miles NW of Llandrin Llandrindod dod Wells Wells on the A44 A Rhayader Castle

E Gigrin Farm

E Gilfach Farm Nature Reserve H Welsh Royal Crystal

F Rebecca Riots

J Wye Valley Walk

Often referred to as the Gateway to the Lakeland of Wales, Rhayader lies within a loop of the River Wye Wye at the entrance to the magnificent Elan Valley, with its impressive collection collectio n of dams and reservoirs. reservoirs. This town, Overlooking the abbey ruins is The Hall at  whose name means ‘Waterfall ‘Waterfall of the Wye’,  Abbey-Cwm-Hir, which has been described as dates back to the 5th century, though the one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic  waterfall all but disappeared with the Revival architecture in Wales. It was built in construction constructi on of a bridge over the river river in 1780. 1834 and doubled in size in 1869. Paul and  The older part of the town contains contains a wide  Victoria Humpherston bought the house in  varietyy of archit  variet architectural ectural styles ranging ranging from the 1997 and spent the next 9 years restoring it to 17th century Old Swan pub and Ye Olde its original splendour, a process recorded in Corner Shoppe, through dignified Georgian several TV documentaries. They now personally  buildings and grand Victorian public buildings conduct visitors around the 52 public rooms such as the Old Police Station and Courthouse.  where features such as marble fireplaces, rococo  Throughout the year the town holds regular ceilings, gothic windows, Victorian bell pulls, markets for sheep, cattle and ponies, and the stained glass ceilings and Minton Hollins tiled May Fair is still held as it was when it doubled floors are all still in place. The formal rooms, as a hiring fair for farm workers. the entrance hall, billiards, library, drawing and Little except some defensive ditches remains dining rooms are particularly noteworthy. There of  Rhayader Castle, built here by Rhys ap are various collections on display, amongst them Gryffydd in about 1177. More recently, clocks, phonographs, vintage signs and Rhayader Rhay ader was was the scene scene of some of the packaging, china and vehicles. Outside, the 12 Rebecca Riots protestin protestingg against toll gates acres of landsca landscaped ped grounds include 4 terraces,  The men, who dressed up as women to disguise a walled garden, lake and waterfall. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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themselves, earning themselves the nickname of th thee Elan Valley – a string of five dammed dammed Rebecca’s Daughters, destroyed turnpikes in lakes that are together around nine miles long  protest at the high toll charges. Many tall stories and were constructed between 1892 and 1903. have grown up around these riots. Some of  Created Create d to supply millions millions of gallons of water them concern concern Rebecca herself herself who is said to to Birmingham and the West Midlands, the have appeared as an old blind woman at the toll first of the dams was opened opened in 1904 by  gate and said, “My children, something is in my  Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and the  way. ” The first gate to be destroyed was at Yr final dam, the Claerwen Dam, was finished in Efail Wen, where ‘Rebecca’ proved to be a huge 1952. Dubbed the Lakeland of Wales, the five man called Thomas Rees. Many toll gates were man-made lakes are surrounded by  demolished by the protesters until, in 1844, the magnificent scenery and have become a remainder were removed legally. Welsh Royal popular area for walkers, cyclists and Crystal is the only manufacturer manufacturer of handbirdwatchers. The Elan Valley Visitor Centre, crafted lead crystal tableware and gift items in as well as incorporating a tourist information  Wales.. Located just to the east of the town, the  Wales office, also has an exhibition telling the story  factory takes visitors on a guided tour to watch of the building building of the reservoirs reservoirs and lots lots of  the craftsmen at work producing a wide range information about the red kite. of items from stemware stemware to large bowls, with Percy Bysshe Shelley visited his cousin exclusive Celtic designs that incorporate ancient  Thomas Grove at Cwm Elan after being  Celtic motifs. Glass-blowing demonstrations expelled from Oxford for writing a treatise take place on certain days and there’s a wellsupporting atheism. Soon after this visit he stocked shop selling Welsh Crystal products at eloped with the schoolgirl Harriet Westbrook  bargain prices. and married her in Scotland. They returned Rhayader is at one end of the beautiful to Wales Wales and for a brief spell in 1812 stayed Wye Valley Walk , which follows the river at a house called Nantgwyllt. Like Thomas  valley, criss-crossing the border, through Grove’s house, it is now submerged under Builth Wells and Hay-on-Wye to Hereford, the waters of  Caben Coch reservoir, but Monmouth and Chepstow.  when the water water level is low the walls walls of the Mid-Wales was home to the last remaining  garden can still be seen. native Red Kites and thanks to the work of  Elan Village itself is comparatively comparatively modern modern  various conservation bodies today it has the having been built at the time the dams were greatest density density and diversity diversity of birds of prey  constructed. With its wide streets and sturdy  in southern Britain. Described as “the best stone-built houses it is unique in Wales. place to see and photograph these striking  birds” Gigrin Farm, on the outskirts of  ST HARMON Rhayader, has regular feeding sessions and also 8 miles NW of Llandrind Llandrindod od Wells Wells on the B4518  operates a rehabilitation centre for injured birds.

ELAN VILLAGE

8 miles W of of Llan Llandrin drindod dod Wells Wells off the B4518  B4518  E Elan Valley

E Caben Coch

 The village is close to the beautiful reservoirs

A Parish Church of St Harmon E Gilfach Farm Nature Reserve

 The Pari Parish sh Church of St Harmon is believed to be the last church in Radnorshire  where services were conducted in Welsh; the

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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last such service was held in 1865. It is also supports an abundance abundance of birds and animals animals notable for being the church where the diarist  within a comparatively small area. At the heart Francis Kilvert was vicar in 1876 and 1877. of the farm is a Welsh Welsh longhouse, a traditional  The church was built in 1821 and is a simple building developed over many centuries from affair with a very short chancel. Kilvert was a wooden cruck-framed medieval hall. In an curate to his father in Wiltshire before taking  18th century stone barn opposite there are up a post at Clyro in 1865, where he started exhibitions on both the longhouse and the his famous diaries. They are detailed, vivid and surrounding wildlife.  very personal personal accounts accounts of life in the remote  Welsh countryside in mid-Victorian times. Back to England, then a year here, then back  to Bredwardine in Herefordshire, where he A Spaceguard Centre B Offa’s Dyke Centre married. He died five weeks later of  C Pinners Hole E Kinsley Wood peritonitis, aged only 39.

Knighton

J Glyndwr’s Way

Occupying a beautiful location where the Situated in the Teme Valley on the border of  Marteg River flows into the River Wye Powys and Shropshire, half in Wales Wales and half  Gilfach Farm Nature Reserve has a wide in England, Knighton lies on the path of   variety  varie ty of habitats habitats,, ranging from high Offa’s Dyke. The Welsh name for the town is moorland to enclosed meadow; from oak   woodland to rocky upland river. This diversity   Tref-y-Clawdd, which means ‘town of the

TOWER HOUSE GALLERY

29 High Street, Knighton, Powys, LD7 1AT  Tel: 01547 529530  e-mail: jlr.thg@vi [email protected]  rgin.net  website: www.thegalleryknighton.co.uk Situated by the clock tower in the picturesque border town of Knighton, Tower House Gallery provides an exhibition venue for the work of the artists and crafts people of the Welsh Marches. The gallery displays work in a variety of media – from oils, acrylics and watercolours to ceramics, textiles and wood. They also stock a comprehensive range of materials - from artist and student quality paints, pastels, pencils and papers to fair-trade buttons, jewellery and textiles. The stock of glass, crystal and semi precious beads positively entices you to browse through the cabinets. Drop in for homemade cakes, breads and soup or try the range of leaf teas and freshly-ground coffee. Sit and enjoy the scenery and try out a new hobby! This is not an experience to be rushed! Summer Opening: 9.30 to 6.00 Tuesday to Saturday and 11.00 to 4.00 on Sundays. Winter Opening 9.30 to 5.00 Tuesday to Saturday. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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THE KNIGHTON HOTEL

Broad Street, Knighton, Knighton, Powys, Shropshire LD7 1BL  1BL  Tel: 01547 520530 Fax: 01547 520529  e-mail: info@theknighton [email protected] .com website: www.theknighton.com  The Knighton Hotel is now under new management and has recently been refurbished to an exceptional standard, where every aspect will impress the most discerning visitor from arrival to reluctant departure. Its impressive Georgian frontage gives the first taste of elegance, opening its doors to reveal a handsome freestanding cantilever hardwood staircase, the only one of its kind in the area. Many say its worth a visit just to see this feat of architecture; a real work of craftsmanship. Through the archway, sixteen superior bedrooms greet guests over two floors with executive suites also available. All rooms are decadently luxurious and decorated in a traditional, yet sleek style. Each bedrooms comes with its own en suite, many equipped with gorgeous free standing baths. Many rooms offer picturesque views across the surrounding area, stretching the eye out over towards the hills and the famous Offa’s Dyke. The hotel also boasts a large function room, a popular choice for weddings and parties to make any special occasion extra special. The hotel’s restaurant, King’s Offa is open daily between 123pm and 6-8:30pm to both residents and non-residents, as is the bar which offers a separate games room complete with pool tables and darts boards. Guests can enjoy a range of bar snacks or some fine a la carte dining, with starters like steamed mussels or melon medley cocktail, and mains like braised lambs liver in red wine gravy, grilled pork steak with a creamy tarragon and mushroom sauce and roast crown of turkey served with fresh market vegetables. Desserts include Eaton mess cheesecake and jumbo profiteroles- wonderfully indulgent.

dyke’. Appropriately, it is home to the Offa’s Dyke Centre, which has copious information about the long distance footpath that runs from Prestatyn to Chepstow. Visitors are greeted by ‘King ‘King Offa’ himself and can find out more about the historic background to the 8th century dyke and the bloodshed caused by  the battles that continued in the borderlands for hundreds hundreds of years years.. Knighton and its near neighbour, the border town of Presteigne, saw many battles between the Anglo Saxons and the Celts. “It was customary for the English English to cut off the ears of every Welshman Welshman who was found to the east of the Dyke (Offa’s), (Offa’s), and for the Welsh Welsh to hang every Englishman found to the west of  it”, wrote George Borrow in his 19th-century  book, Wild Wales . Beginning in Knighton, Glyndwr’s Way

follows the route taken by Owain Glyndwr, one of Wales’ most famous sons, as he fought the English for Welsh independence in the 1400s. This scenic and important route travels southwest to Abbey-Cwm-Hir, passing by the ancient abbey ruins before heading  northwards into the old county of  Montgomeryshire and the market town of  Llanidloes. Llanidlo es. The 128 miles of the path take in some of the finest scenery in mid-Wales mid-Wales before reaching Machynlleth, from where it heads southeast and finally ends at the border town of Welshpool.  The Spaceguard Centre is situated within the former Powys Observatory. It was created to observe and track comets and asteroids that might collide with our planet and, for this purpose, boasts the most powerful telescope in Wales. It offers guided tours and has a shop

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selling astronomy-related gifts. Beside the banks of the River Teme Teme is Pinners Hole, a natural amphitheatre that is strengthened on one side by a superb section of Offa’s Dyke where there is a stone that commemorates the opening of the footpath.  Across the river lies Kinsley Wood, a sizeable area of native oak woodland. woodland. Sited on a hillside, trees of different species species were planted to form the letters “ER” to commemorate the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

tower collapsed and was never rebuilt. The foundations foundat ions of the tower can still be seen. seen. Inside, the west end is partitioned off, as it was formerly a schoolroom. The communion rails and pulpit are 17th century.

PRESTEIGNE

5 miles S of Knighton on the B4362 

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 S   O  U A Parish Church of St Andrew B Judge’s Lodging  T   H F Mary Morgan  P   O Once the county town of Radnorshire,  W Around Knighton Presteigne is a charming and unspoilt place on  Y  S  the southern bank of the River Lugg. Y You ou  A only have to cross a small 17th century stone BLEDDFA  N  D bridge to find yourself in England. In recent 5½ miles SW of Knighton on the A488   T  years it has seen an influx of escape escapees es from  H  The Parish Church Church of St Mary Magdalene is urban stress stress and now has a smattering of craft  E medieval in origin, though its unusual wooden shops, trendy cafes, antique shops and second-  B  bell turret dates from 1711, when the west  R   E  C  O BRYN HEULOG GUEST HOUSE  N “Sunny Hill”, Llanfairwaterdine, nr Knighton, Powys LD7 1TU   B   E Tel: 01547 528155   A e-mail: [email protected]  C  O website: www.bednbreakfast.co.uk  N Nestled into a hillside and standing within beautiful gardens is the  S  A The Radnorshire Arms

A Duke’s Arms

Bryn Heulog Guest House. House. This large and modern guest house has been awarded 4 stars by the Welsh Tourist Board and offers comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation. En-suite family, double, twin and single rooms are available, equipped with televisions and tea and coffee making facilities. After enjoying a hearty home cooked breakfast in the dining room, you will be ready for a day of exploring.

There is plenty to enjoy from this fantastic location on the border between Shropshire and Wales. A minimum stay of 2-3 nights is recommended in order to fully experience what the area has to offer. This includes many walks, such as Offas Dyke, which crosses the border between England and Wales more than ten times, The Jack Mytton Way and the Gwyndwr Way. Hay-on-Wye is only a short 45 minutes drive south, with the West Midlands and Cheshire only 90 minutes drive away. Across the road from Bryn Heulog Guest House, the Waterdine Inn has a reputation for fine cuisine and offers light meals and a full a la carte menu at lunch and in the evenings. There is ample parking at Bryn Heulog and guests have their own private access.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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hand bookshops. A recent Country Life  survey  placed this attractive town in the Top 10 best places to live in Britain. The AA added that the road from Presteigne to Aberystwyth was among the top 10 scenic routes, not just in Britain, but in Europe. A border town distinguished by its handsome black and white half-timbered buildings, Presteigne grew up around a Norman castle that has long since gone, the site now being occupied by a pleasant park. Presteigne’s history is as turbulent as that of  most of the region. It was captured captured by the Mercians in the 8th century, besieged by  Llywelyn in 1262, and pillaged by Owain Glyndwr in the early 15th century. By Tudor times the town had got its breath back and had become a peaceful market centre, but it  was its position on a major mail coach route between London, Cheltenham, Gloucester

and Aberystwyth that brought it prosperity  and importance. One of the town’s town’s most outstanding  buildings is The Radnorshire Arms, which dates from 1616. Originally built as a house for Sir Christopher Hatton, one of Elizabeth I’s courtiers, this superb timber framed building became became the property property of the Bradshaw  Bradshaw  family before becoming an inn in 1792. The best known member of this family was John Bradshaw,, who was Lord President of the Bradshaw Parliamentary Commission that brought Charles I to trial. He headed the list of  signatories to the King’s death warrant, refusing to let him speak in his defence. The town also claims the oldest inn in Radnorshire, the Duke’s Arms. Records show that an inn,  which was burnt down by Owain Glyndwr, stood here in 1401. The rebuilt inn became a local headquarters for the Roundheads during 

THE RADNORSHIRE ARMS HOTEL

High Street, Presteigne, Powys, Hereford ED8 2BE Tel: 01544 267 406 Fax: 015 15444 26 2604 04118  e-mail: [email protected]  website: www.r www.radnorshirearmshotel adnorshirearmshotel.com  .com  One of Presteigne’s most striking buildings is the Radnorshire Arms Hotel,, a 17th century half-timbered structure that was originally Hotel built as a house for Sir Christopher Hatton, one of Elizabeth I’s leading courtiers. Presteigne is a perfect base to visit Ludlow, Shropshire and the Radnorshire Hills, including the famous Offa’s Dyke which forms the border between Wales and England. This family hotel boasts a three star rating and has eleven en suite rooms and eight spacious garden rooms, all en suite and fully equipped to the highest standard with WiFi access. The garden rooms are pet-friendly and have a room only or bed and breakfast rate. For the ultimate dining experience, the Oak Room and The Hattons both offer a superb range of fresh, home-cooked meals; including vegetarian and special diets which make the most of the exceptional local and seasonal produce. Other amenities include a residents’ lounge, drying room, a traditional bar and a large landscaped garden with a children’s play area. There is assisted disabled access to the garden rooms and full access to the bar and restaurants and parking is via two car parks, one situated at the front and the other at the rear of the hotel. A garage facility is available by prior booking for cyclists and motorbikes. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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the Civil War and, in later centuries, was an important coaching inn. The last ever mail coach to run in Britain left from here  The Par Parish ish Church of St Andrew is possibly the most handsome church in Radnorshire. Radnor shire. It stands in the valley of the River Lugg and is originally from Saxon times, though it was rebuilt in about 1200. The nave and chancel chancel of the present present building are from the 14th and 15th century.

place every year over the August Bank holiday.

OLD RADNOR

8½ miles miles S of Knig Knighton hton off the A44 A Parish Church of St Stephen

Situated on a hill, Old Radnor was once owned by King Harold. The motte by the church chur ch was the site of his castle. The Parish Church of St Stephen contains interesting  exampless of 14th-cen example 14th-century tury building design, as  Although the grand neo-classical Judge’s  well as a huge font made from a glacial Lodging only dates from 1829, it is another boulder, which may have been a prehistoric fascinating attraction in Presteigne. Designed altar. The church’s most notable feature is the by Edward Haycock and built on the site of  superb late 15th 15th century screen, screen, one of the the county gaol, this was the judicial centre for finest in Wales. Another remarkable piece of  Radnorshire and the home of the Radnorshire  woodwork in the church is the organ case, Constabulary. Today Today,, the house, with its  which was built in the 16th century and is the adjoining court, has been furnished as it would earliest surviving organ case in the British have appeared in 1870, and visitors can Isles. Stephen, or Ystyffan, lived in the 6th explore the world world of the judges, their servants servants century, and was was a member of the royal family  and the felons. felons. One of the trials held here that ruled Powys. The church is the only one concerned 17-year-old Mary Morgan who in in Wales dedicated to that particular saint. 1805 gave birth to an illegitimate child that her NEW RADNOR father persuaded her to murder. Her crime 8½ miles miles SW of Knig Knighton hton off the A44  was detected and she was sentenced to death. Incredibly, her father was a member of the A New Radnor Castle A Parish Church of St Mary jury that found her guilty. In the churchyard Up until the late 19th century, this small town of St Andrew’s Andrew’s there are two gravestones gravestones  was the county town town of Radnor Radnorshire. shire. Courts recalling the event: the first, erected at the  were convened here and justice meted out. time, is nauseatingly sanctimonious about “the  The town is overlooked by an 11th-century   victim of sin and shame”; the second, set up motte, all that remains remains of its once mighty  later by chastened townspeople, is inscribed castle. Like many other strongholds in this “He that is without sin among you, let him border region, New Radnor Castle suffered cast the first stone at her”. at various hands. It was destroyed by King   The eminent Australian painter Sidney   John, rebuilt by Henry III, and destroyed again Nolan retired to Presteigne and the Sidney  by Owain Glyndwr in 1401. Nolan Trust Trust holds regular exhibitions exhibitions of his  The Par Parish ish Church Church of St Mary stands on  work  wor k and that of other artists at his house, a hill overlooking the village, and is totally   The Rodd, just outside the town. The Trust unlike the one at Old Radnor, having been also exhibits at the world-renowned Presteigne built between 1843 and 1845. However, a Festival of Music and the Arts, which takes church has stood here for centuries, and the A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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present building incorporates present incorporates fragments of a medieval screen in its communion rails and two worn effigies, no doubt from tombs in an earlier church built in the 14th century. New Radnor was the start point in 1187 of  a tour of Wales by Archbishop Baldwin, who  was accompanied by the scholar and churchman Giraldus Cambrensis. They  preached the Third Crusade, and after the tour, Baldwin, the first archbishop to visit  Wales, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land  where he died. Baldwin was the Bishop of   Worcester before becoming Archbishop of  Canterbury, in which capacity he crowned Richard I.

Hay-on-Wye A Hay Motte

H Festival of Art and Literature

H Hay-on-Wye Craft Centre A Clock Tower

A Hay Castle

A Butter Market

A Cheese Market

 This ancient town with its network network of narrow  streets is noted for for its range of galleries well as antique, print, craft and gift shops. Above all, it is famous as the ‘second-hand book capital of the world’. world’.  The first second-hand bookshop was opened in the former Fire Station in 1961 by  ex-Guards officer Richard Booth. He went on

THE SWAN AT HAY

Church Street, Street, Hay-on-Wye, Hay-on-Wye, Powys Powys HR3 5DQ 5DQ Tel: 01497 821188  e-mail: [email protected] website:  www.swanathay.co.uk Located in the charming Victorian market town of Hay-onWye, The Swan At Hay is nestled between The Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. With the Wye Valley  just moments away, this magnificent hotel is perfectly placed for guests to enjoy wonderful walks with breathtaking scenery. The Swan is run by the Mackintosh family and occupies a beautiful Grade 2 listed Georgian coaching inn bursting with charm and character. The hotel has two restaurants, The Garden Room and The Bistro, serving award winning food. The garden is the perfect place to dine alfresco on warm afternoons and evenings. The menu features classic British favourites including a traditional Sunday Lunch with some of the largest Yorkshire puddings you can find! Dishes are created using locally sourced ingredients including Welsh Marshes lamb, Herefordshire beef and fresh produce grown in the Wye Valley. There are many fine wines to accompany your meal and you can also sample some Wye Valley real ales. The guest accommodation is full of charm and character with many of the rooms enjoying period features and views of the beautiful garden. All 17 rooms differ in shape and size and include en-suite facilities. In the morning guests enjoy a delicious full Welsh breakfast.

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THE OLD BLACK LION

Lion Street, Hay-on-Wy Hay-on-Wye, e, Powys/ Hereford HR3 5AD Tel: 01497 820841 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.oldblacklion.co.uk The Old Black Lion is a 17th Century Inn full of historic charm and situated in the heart of Hay-on-Wye close to the original entrance to the old walled town, once known as the Lion Gate. Friendly host Dolan Leighton and her excellent and efficient staff will warmly welcome you into the tranquil atmosphere of this four star inn. The oak timbered bar and comfy arm chairs are sure to tempt you to enjoy a drink or two before you unpack your bags, with an extensive wine list to choose from as well as a range of local ales including “The Old Black Lion” brew. The award winning restaurant features in the Michelin Guide and has received many prestigious accolades, including a well deserved AA rosette. Also featured on ‘Great Pubs of Wales’ as seen on TV. Diners choose from a seasonally changing menu with daily specials including light snacks, lunches and main meals all imaginatively produced using the freshest available ingredients. The best of British produce is used where possible including locally reared meat (some organic), locally sourced fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables and herbs. The restaurant is hugely popular so it is advisable to book a table ahead of your visit. The guest accommodation comprises 10 individually styled en-suite bedrooms which enjoy all modern amenities and comfort and have recently been sympathetically and tastefully refurbished to a high standard. For a truly decadent experience you can treat yourself to a stay in the Cromwell Suite, an extra special and luxurious place to unwind. The suite is sumptuously decorated and even has its own galleried seating area. Located within some of the most breathtaking scenery in Wales, The Old Black Lion is a stylish and relaxing place from which to explore the many charms and delights of the historic town of Hay-on-Wye. With ample car parking, your wheels can take a break as you set out on foot to take in the stunning scenery of the surrounding Brecon Beacons National Park to the west and the Black Mountains to the South.

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Clock Tower, Hay-on-Wye

to convert the New Plaza Cinema. His bookshops were so successful that in 1971 he bought Hay Hay Castle and converted converted part of that into a bookshop. There are now more than 30 in all, between them stocking more than a million books on every imaginable subject.  This bookish environment has not however been entirely free of controversy controversy.. On April Fools Day 1977, Booth crowned himself  ‘King of Hay’ as a protest against what what he saw  as the corruption and mean-mindedness of  local and national government. He distributed peeragess and issued passports all of which peerage helped draw attention to this small riverside town. The process process of establish establishing ing Hay as a premier ‘Booktown’ was advanced further  with the establishment in 1988 of an annual Festival Festiv al of Literature and the Art the  Arts. The moving spirits behind the festival were the Florence family who used the proceeds of a

THE HAY MAKERS

St Johns Johns Place, Hay-on-Wye, Powys HR3 5BN  Tel: 01497 820556  e-mail: [email protected] website: www.haymakers.co.uk The Hay Makers is a welcoming and friendly gallery run by a co-operative of professional designers and craft makers. Since opening in the 1980s it has gained a reputation for showcasing and selling an exciting array of original and high quality arts and crafts. There is an eclectic range of work on display including pottery, woodturning, furniture, tin-glazed majolica ceramics, stone carving, embroidered jewellery, textiles, hand painted silk ties and printmaking. With an excellent selection of greetings cards and gift wrap on sale, this is a great place to find that perfect present for someone special. Throughout the year there are changing exhibitions showcasing the work of some of the finest contemporary British craft makers. There is also a fine selection of jewellery and leatherwork created by craft makers from Timbuktu and the gallery has raised a considerable amount of money to help these artists trade their way to a more sustainable future. Located at the foot of the Black Mountains in the world famous book town of Hay-on-Wye, The Hay Makers is open daily throughout the year, from 10:30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sundays. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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NUMBER TWO

3 & 6 Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys HR3 5DF  Tel: 01497 821923 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.number-two.co.uk In the unique town of Hay-on-Wye an outstanding shopping Two, where style is all about experience awaits at Number Two, combining individual personality with lifestyle needs. Sue Cutting and her daughter Freya Fiddes lead a creative and passionate team to provide a friendly and personal service. Every item of stock is carefully selected to include beautiful and stylish clothing, shoes, accessories, homeware and gifts. The products are showcased within two fabulous and inspiring shops, each open seven days a week. Number Two Collection is situated at 3 Castle Street and was the founding store, opening in 1997. Offering stylish and effortlessly chic womenswear and accessories, this destination boutique stocks beautiful jewellery and fashionable bags. Current brands on display include Oska, Elemente Clemente, Flax and Sahara. Number Two Style is located on the upper ground floor at 6 Castle Street. It opened in 2003 and was an immediate success. There is a vast range of stylish clothing to choose from including clothes from well known brands like Sandwich, Jackpot, Part Two and Joules, among many others. There is also a fantastic selection of shoes from brands including Fly London, Birkenstock and Dr Martens. Number Two Home is the most recent addition, having opened in April 2010. It can be found on the lower ground floor at number 6 Castle Street. Inside you will find a plethora of unusual and individual gifts and items for the home and garden. There is a stunning array of cushions, throws and decorative objects for the home from brands such as eco friendly and fair trade Nkuku. For the kitchen there is recycled glassware and stylish French stoneware from Jars while for the bathroom and bedroom there is a selection of truly luxurious bath & body products by Branche d’ Olive and funky retro printed towels and bedding by Orla Kiely. Green fingered shoppers will delight in the Garden and Hardware area which hosts wooden trugs and storage baskets, lanterns and a wealth of decorative garden accessories. There is stunning ironmongery and curtain poles created by a local blacksmith alongside prismatic glass pendant lighting. The children’s area has a range of unique hand crafted wooden and soft toys as well as brightly coloured organic baby clothing. The stationery and greetings area has a fantastic selection of original greetings cards as well as leather bound journals from Nkuku and beautiful printed notepads from Rosehip. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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THE GRANARY CAFÉ RESTAURANT

Broad Street, Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye,, Powys HR3 5AE 5AE Tel: 01497 820790  Opposite the town clock in Hay-on-Wye, The Granary Cafe Restaurant is one of the best-loved eating and meeting places in town. It was established more than 30 years ago, and the owners, sisters Caroline Pryce Mason and Jeannette Barker welcome customers into the traditional inviting surroundings with an open fire in the main area, hops decorating the beamed ceiling, a quiet anteroom and a spacious upstairs room. On the premises they prepare food at very reasonable prices, from, usually three soups, interesting salads to generous main courses and handmade cakes and puddings. The daily choice of hot dishes might typically include authentic curries, spicy mediterranean pasta and meat dishes, fragrant North African tagines, or traditional pies made with shortcrust pastry and filled with beef, chicken or game. There are fish cakes, and smoked trout or salmon, all of which are sourced locally. Apple Strudel, lemon meringue pie, cheesecakes, pies and crumble are but a few of the puddings, with merringues, and scones usually available. The opening hours are 9am-5.30pm, 7 days per week, longer hours including evening meals, during the Hay Festival, and during the summer holidays.Wifi internet available.

poker game to finance it. Ever since, the festival has taken place over ten days in late May and early June. It draws thousands of  leading authors and avid readers to the town and was once described by President Bill Clinton as a “Woodstock “Woodstock of the mind”.  The town itself itself is a pleasing mix of  buildings ranging from early timber-framed structures through handsome early 19th century Classical style buildings to some  Victorian Gothic examples, notably the elaborate Clock Tower of 1884. Another Another memorable building is the Butter Market, close to the castle. It was built in classical style in 1833, restored in 1984, and still serves its original function as a sheltered area for market traders and farmers. Nearby, in Memorial Square, is another building in classical style.  The 2-storey Cheese Market was completed

in 1845 and for many years was used for meetings of the Town Town Council. Memorial Square and the adjacent streets provide the setting for Hay’s colourful Thursday market.  The impressive Hay-on-Wye Craft Centre offers visitors a change from books as well as the opportunity to see craftspeople working at age-old skills such as glass blowing, wood turning, pottery and even traditional sweets.  Tucked between the Black Mountains and the River Wye Wye in the northern corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park, the town grew  up around Hay Motte, which still survives across the river from the main town centre.  This castle was eventually replaced by Hay Castle, although this was all but destroyed in the early 1400s by Owain Glyndwr. However, a Jacobean manor house was later grafted on to part of the remaining remaining walls. walls. As noted

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HOLLY BUSH INN AND CAMPSITE

Llanigon, nr Hay-on-Wye, Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire Herefordshire HR3 5PS  Tel: 01497 847371 e-mail: [email protected]  website: www.hollybushcamping.co.uk The vibrant and quirky Hollybush Inn offers 5 beautifully furnished rooms throughout the year with a choice between 3 en suite double rooms; some complete with own fireplace, or a family room and 2 twin rooms with a shared bathroom. Guests at the inn and nonresidents can enjoy the lively atmosphere below in the inn’s bar and restaurant which prides itself on catering for special dietary requirements such as vegans, vegetarians and more. All meals are cooked fresh to order with local organic produce so you can really taste the difference. The bar offers a fine choice of country wines, real ales and ciders that can be enjoyed within the cosy inn, or outside in the inn’s spacious beer garden which has access to the glorious River Wye. Alternately, live music is provided most weekends from a variety of local performing artists. The inn also sports its own campsite with options for camping in fields or wooded areas in either tents, caravans or a range of fantastic tipis that are available to hire. Guests can enjoy the great range of outdoor activities the team arrange also which includes kayaking, canoeing, cycling and hiking, please ring for details.

RIVER CAFÉ & B&B AT GLASBURY

Glasbury Bridge, Glasbury on Wye, Nr Hay on Wye, Powys HR3 5NP  Tel: 01497 847007 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk With a stylish café and comfortable B&B rooms, The River Café & B&B at Glasbury is one of the most popular establishments of its kind in the area. Once the village’s post office, it sits right on the banks of the River Wye, at the highest point at which canoes can be launched. The café itself is licensed and serves great food. It is spacious and modern, reflecting its high standards of service and its value for money prices. Everything from fresh crab pasta and sirloin steak with salad and chips to homemade lasagne and fresh grilled sea bass is available, with only the finest and freshest of local produce being used wherever possible. The four B&B rooms are extremely comfortable, and furnished and decorated to a high standard while still retaining a simple, uncluttered look. There are three doubles and a twin, and TVs and tea/coffee making facilities come as standard. All the rooms are fully en-suite. The café and B&B rooms are open from Wednesday to Sunday all year. The café owns Wye Valley Canoes, where, in the summer months, you can hire canoes and kayaks, and all the accompanying equipment, for a few hours or even a few days on the river. Packed lunches are available. Whether you’re a canoeist, a walker, a cyclist or a motorist, you will be made more than welcome at The River Café and B&B. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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above, the castle was bought in 1971 by  secondhand book magnate Richard Booth and now incorporates his Hay Castle Books.

Around Hay-on-Wye CLYRO

2 miles NW of Hay on the A438  A Clyro Castle

A Parish Church of St Michael

E Cwm Byddog

 This beautifully situated village in the Wye  Valley was once a Roman station although little remains of that. But the remnants of the motte and bailey of  Clyro Castle, built by the fiendish William de Braose, can still be seen.  The diarist Francis Kilvert was curate in the  village between 1865 and 1872 and in his journal he describes both life in the village and the surrounding area in evocative and elegant prose. He lived at Ashbrook House, which has been re-named and is now the Kilvert Art Gallery. The Pa Parish rish Church of St Michael,  where he was vicar, was founded in the 12th century. Apart from the tower, it was rebuilt in about 1853. Clyro has another minor literary connection.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Baskerville Arms and used the name for his best-known tale The Hound Hound of the Baskervilles  Baskervilles .  A little way north of Clyro Clyro,, Cwm Byddog is a 15-acre ancient woodland with pollarded oaks,, bluebells in spring, the remains oaks remains of a motte and bailey castle and a variety of birds, including the blackcap and the garden warbler.

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 S   O  U PAINSCASTLE  T  5 miles NW of Hay on the B4594  H  P  A Castell Paen  O  W E Tawny Owl Animal Park and Craft Centre  Y Sometimes known as Castell Paen, the early   S   A castle here was built in 1130 by Payn  N  D FitzJohnon. A motte that still exists was later  T  rebuilt in stone and, by the late 12th century,  H  was in the hands of the notorious notorious William de  E Braose.. The cruelty of de Braose earned Braose earned him a  B   R  place in Welsh folklore and he was given the  E nickname the Ogre of Abergavenny Abergavenny.. This was  C  O because he avenged avenged the death of his uncle, the  N Earl of Hereford, by inviting several Welsh Welsh  B   E princes to Abergavenny Castle for a great  A feast. Instead of offering them hospitality hospitality,, he  C  O had them all butchered. His name has also  N been given to several several breeds of cattle in Wales, Wales,  S  including the de Braose Maud and the de Braose David.

Clyro Church, Clyro

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In 1198, the castle was attacked by Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys Powys,, but the English army slaughtered more than 3000 of Gwenwynwyn’ Gwenwynwyn’ss men. The prince’s prince’s dreams of a united Wales died along with them. However, de Braose met his match for cruelty in King John, who stripped him of his land. He escaped in disguise to France, where he died. After her husband’s death,  William’s wife Maud suggested that

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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 John had also killed his nephew Prince Arthur and for this accusation both she and her youngest son were imprisoned in Corfe Castle  with little food to keep them alive. Legend has it that when, some 11 days later, the dungeon door was opened, both prisoners were dead. In an attempt to keep herself alive, Maud had half eaten the the cheeks cheeks of her son. son.

town’s original narrow streets are lined with  Victorian and Edwardian buildings.

Close to the castle remains is an altogether more pleasant place to visit, the Tawny Owl  Animal Park and Craft Centre, which lies in the shelter of beautifu beautifull hills. Opened Opened in 1998, the park is named after the wild owls that live in the broad-leafed woodlands surrounding the farm. As well as the owls (which are not caged), visitors can also see a  whole range range of farm animals at close quarters. Along with the animals and the farm trails, there are also traditional country  crafts on display and for sale.

 S   O  U  T   H  P   O  W  Y  S   A  N  D  T   H  E  B   R   E  C Since the 1963 1963 opening of the Royal Welsh  O  N Show Ground at Llanelwedd, on the opposite  B  bank of the Wye, the annual Royal Royal Welsh Welsh  E  A Show, held in July, has gained a reputation as  C being the premier agricultural show in the  O country. Builth Wells is regarded as the centre  N  S 

Parish ish Church of St Peter Peter is a simple  The Par building with a 14th century nave and a 15th century chancel, though there is plenty of  evidence of a substantial restoration in the 19th century. Curiously, the chancel floor is about three feet lower than that of the nave.

Builth Wells A Parish Church of St Mary C Cefn Carn Cafall

C Castle Mound

H Wayside Arts Centre

I Royal Welsh Show Ground

D Groe Park

However, the town’s history dates back  much muc h further than just a couple of hundr hundred ed years. It grew up around a Norman castle that changed hands many times during the struggles with the English. The inhabitants of  Builth Wells earned the nickname ‘traitors of  Bu-allt’ because of their refusal to shelter Llywelyn the Last from the English in 1282.  As a result, some 20 years later, Llywelyn partly destroyed the Norman stronghold. At the Castle Mound only the earthworks remain of the town’s town’s 13th-century castle that  was built by Edward Edward I on the site of the earlier motte and bailey structure. The earthworks can be reached by a footpath from the town Parish rish Church Church of St Mary was centre. The Pa founded in Norman time, and has a 14thcentury tower, the rest being Victorian. Above the south porch is a small room.

for farming and agriculture in Wales and the show provides an opportunity for the farming  communities to come together at what is considered to be one of the finest and most prestigious prestigio us events events of its kind.

 Although spa treatments are no longer  Another spa town of mid Wales, Wales, Builth Wells Wells available here, Builth Wells remains a popular lies beside the River Wye, which is spanned at touring centre and base. As well as the many  this point by a six-arched bridge. The discovery  shops and the weekly market on Mondays, of saline springs in 1830 helped Builth Wells Wells  visitors can also enjoy enjoy the wide variety variety of arts develop from a small market town into a and cultural events held at the Wayside Arts Ar ts fashionable spa that became even more popular Centre, take in a film at a cinema that claims  with the arrival of the railways railways towards towards the end to be the longest-running permanent cinema of the 19th century century.. As a result, many of the in Wales, or just take a pleasant riverside stroll A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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through Groe Park .

Builth, was killed by the English. According to legend, the place where Llywelyn fell and died On the summit of the nearby nearby mountain,  was covered in broom, which then ceased to Cefn Carn Cafall, is a cairn that is said to grow on the site - in mourning for the loss of  have been built by King Arthur. The stone on the last native Prince of Wales. Thirteen trees top of the cairn bears bears the imprint of a dog’s dog’s paw that, according to local legend, was left by  have been planted here to represent the 13 King Arthur’s dog, Cafall, while they were out counties of Wales. The rough hewn stone Memorial to Llywelyn the Last describes hunting. Arthur built the cairn, placing the him as “ein llyw olaf ” (“our last leader”) leader”) while stone on top, and then named the peak. The the English tablet beside the monument calls story continues that if the stone is removed removed it him “our prince”. Following his death,  will always return to this spot. Llywelyn’s head was taken to London and paraded victoriously through the city’s streets. His death is still marked by a ceremony every  year on 11 December at the memorial stone. ERWOOD LLANWRTYD WELLS 7 miles SE of Builth Wells Wells on the A470  A470 

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 S   O  U  T   H  P   O  W Around Builth Wells  Y  S   A  N  D  T  13 miles W of Builth Wells Wells on the A483 A483 H Erwood Station Craft Centre and Gallery  H  E A Cambrian Woollen Mill D Llyn Brianne Pronounced “Errod”, the village’s name is  B  G William Williams  R  actually a corruption corrupti on of the Welsh Welsh ‘Y Rhyd’  E I World Bog Snorkelling Championship (the ford), a name that harks back to the days  C  O  when the shallow crossing of the River Wye Wye Officially the smallest town in Great Britain,  N here was used by drovers. The Great Western Llanwrtyd Wells also claims to enjoy the  B  Railway station at Erwood, closed in 1962, has cleanest air in the country. It owes its fame as  E  A been turned into the Erwood Station Craft a spa town to the local vicar Theophilus Evans  C  O Centre and Gallery. The centre has daily   who, in 1732, was walking outside the town  N  woodturning demonstrations and each month  when he came across a sulphur spring. A  S  stages a new exhibition featuring various craftspeople from weavers to painters, potters to sculptors. The centre has a café, two of whose tables tables are in a GWR carriage.

sufferer from scurvy himself, he observed

CILMERY

3 miles W of Builth Wells Wells on the A483 A483 C Memorial to Llywelyn the Last

 This village on the banks banks of the River River Irfon has a special resonance for  Welsh nationalists. It was here, in 1282, that Llywelyn the Last while fleeing after the abortive Battle of 

Cambrian Woollen Mill, Llanwrtyd Wells

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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healthy frogs swimming in the water, drank  some of it over several several days and was cured of  the affliction. Surrounded by rugged mountains, rolling  hills and the remote moorland moorland of Mynyd Mynydd d Epynt, Llanwrtyd Wells no longer attracts  visitors for its sulphurous waters but is still a popular holiday centre, particularly with those  who enjoy bird watching, fishing, walking and an eclectic variety of events and festivals throughout the year. In January there’s a Roman Saturnalia (dress code: togas), a ‘Man  versus Horse’ race in May May,, a Folk Weekend Weekend in spring and a late autumn Beer Festival – the ‘Real Ale Wobble’.

gift shop, craft shop and studio, and a restaurant.

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On high ground to the northwest northwest of the town is Llyn Brianne, the latest of Wales’ man-made lakes, which was opened in 1973.  The dam that holds the water is the highest of  its type in the country – at 300 feet – and the grand scale of the lake has to be seen to be  S   O believed.

 U  T  LLANGAMMARCH WELLS  H 8 miles miles W of Bui Builth lth Wells Wells off off the A483 A483  P   O  W G John Perry G Theophilus Evans  Y Situated where the Rivers Irfon and  S  Cammarch meet, Llangammarch Wells was the  A  N However the most unusual of all the events smallest of the Welsh Welsh spas. It was renowned  D held here is undoubtedly the annual World for its barium chloride carrying waters that  T  Bog Snorkelling Championship that takes  were thought to be useful in the treatment of   H  E place each August. Competitors have to swim heart and rheumatic complaints. The old well  B  two lengths lengths of a specially dug 180ft peat bog   R  and pumphouse are contained in the grounds  E located a mile from the town. The swimmer’s of the Lake Country Country House Hotel. As well as  C head must be submerged, submerged, and the the use of the being the birthplace in 1559 of  John Perry, an  O  N arms is forbidden. The latest variation is boginfluential religious reformer who was hanged  B  snorkelling on mountain bikes! in London in 1593 for treason, this now sleepy   E  A In the 18th century, William Williams, the little town was was also the home of the  C  O poet, hymn writer writer and one one of the leaders leaders of the  wonderfully named Theophilus Evans. He  N Methodist revival, lived in the town while  was vicar here, discovered the sulphur spring   S  another claim to fame is that the Welsh rugby  folk song, Sosban Fach , was written here in 1895. It translates into English as ‘little saucepan’.

at Llanwrtyd Wells, which cured the scurvy he had suffered for years, and he also wrote a classical historical historical interpretation interpretation of the area Primitive Age  Age . On the outskirts of the town, on the bank o of  f  entitled View of the Primitive the River Irfon, the Cambrian Woollen Mill ABERGWESYN recalls the rich rich history of Wales’ rural past. The 12 miles miles W of Bui Builth lth Wells Wells off the B4358  B4358  first mill was founded in the 1820s, but its D Abergwesyn Pass modern form dates from 1918 when it was opened by the Royal British Legion for the Situated in an isolated spot in the Irfon Valley, benefit of servi servicemen cemen disabled in World World War War I.  Abergwesyn lies on an old drovers’ route that  A tour of the mill allows visitors to see twists and climbs through the Abergwesyn traditional cloths being woven while in the the roof of Wales, this this is a Pass. Known as the factory shop there is a wide choice of  beautiful pathway that, centuries ago, consisted beautifully finished items to buy. There’s also a of nothing more than dirt tracks tracks along which A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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the drovers would shepherd cattle and other livestock from one market town to the next. A number of drovers’ routes can still be followed, some in part by car. car. Many of the roads are narrow. In the south, one such route begins at Llandovery and travels across the Epynt mountain and crosses the ford at Erwood.

the city of Brecon sits on the banks of the River Usk, at the confluence of the Rivers Honddu and Tarrell Tarrell in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. A major shopping  centre for the area, it hosts a livestock market every Tuesday and Friday, and a craft market on the third Saturday Saturday of eve every ry month.

 A walk along the promenade beside the River Usk leads to the remains remains of mediev medieval al Brecon 4 miles N of Builth Wells Wells on the A470  A470  Castle. They stand partly in the Bishop’s A Parish Church of All Saints H Drover’s Statue Garden Garde n and partly in the grounds of the Castle  The Par Parish ish Church of All Saints in this large Hotel. The town grew up around this castle,  village at the foot of the Cambrian Cambrian Mountains  which was built in the late 11th century by  Newmarch. ch. It was besieged first by   was built in the decorated style in 1883 for the Bernard of Newmar Llywelyn the Last and again during Owain  Venables  V enables family of nearby Llysdinam. The Glyndwr’s rebellion in the early 15th century. By  famous diarist, the Rev Francis Kilvert was the time of the Civil War, War, Brecon considered its chaplain to the Rev Richard Venables who lived there. The Drover’s Statue on the village growing cloth trade so important that it decided to remain neutral and the townsfolk began green is a reminder that the village lies on an old drove road that ran from Tregaron and on dismantling the castle. Close by stands Brecon Cathedral , an into England. Droving Droving – the driving of cattle, mainly to the English lowlands for fattening –  impressive and magnificent building that originated from an 11th century priory   was one of Wales’s main industries until the Industrial Revolution. Drovers needed licenses colonised by Benedictine monks from Battle in Sussex. It was founded by the Norman to ply their trade, and had to be married, over knight Bernard of Newmarch who had been 30 and a householder. This didn’t stop them granted the lands by his half brother William William enjoying themselves in inns where they  stopped overnight. Newbridge on Wye had 13 the Conquerer. In the late 1300s the priory  inns and they usually put on dancing, singing,  was developed into a fortified building later described describ ed as “half “half Churc Church h of God and half  half  boxing and wrestling to entertain the drovers. castle against the Welsh”. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries it became Brecon’s parish church, called the Priory  Church of St John the Evangelist. It was A Brecon Castle B Heritage Centre eventually elevated to a cathedral in 1923 when A Brecon Cathedral the new diocese of Swansea and Brecon was C Captain’s Walk B Brecknock Museum created. At one time chapels dedicated to C Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal craftsmen filled the aisles, but only that to the corvisors (shoemakers) remains. An unusual B South Wales Borderers Museum C Y Gaer artefact in the nave nave of the cathedral cathedral is a Famous for its ancient cathedral, Georgian cresset stone, stone, a slab of stone in which 30 architecture and annual Jazz Festival in August,

NEWBRIDGE ON WYE

Brecon

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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PILGRIMS

Brecon Cathedral Cathedral Close, Close, Brecon, Powys LD3 9DP  9DP  Tel: 01874 610610  e-mail: pilgrimste pilgrimstearooms@btconnec [email protected]  t.com  website: www.pilgrims-tearooms.co.uk Pilgrims award winning tea rooms are situated in the tranquil walled Close of Brecon Cathedral. The tearooms retain much of the style of the adjacent sixteenth century tithe barn, which houses the Cathedral shop and Heritage Centre Museum (free entry). The tea rooms are run by Janet Williams who has gained an impressive reputation for Pilgrims by cooking delicious fresh meals daily, using local and organic produce whenever possible and serving it in a warm, friendly atmosphere. A main menu is available from 12- 2.30p.m. including a selection of home-made soups and bread, quiches, salads, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, casseroles, pies and mouth watering desserts. Traditional Sunday roasts are extremely popular and booking is advisable Pilgrims is fully licensed serving a selection of wines, local ales, cider and a range of hot and cold soft drinks. Pilgrims is open daily from 10 until 5pm throughout the year for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea, but closes a little earlier during the winter months. Janet also provides outside catering for families, bunkhouses and corporate functions. On Fridays and Saturdays extra bread, welsh cakes, nut-roasts and specialities are baked and can be ordered and collected from the tearooms.

fascinating. The South Wales Borderers Museum features memorabilia of the regiment’ss famous defence of Rorke’ regiment’ Rorke’ss Drift. Over 300 300 years of military history are recorded here through various displays that include armoury, uniforms and medals. The regiment has taken part in every major Some of the town’s town’s old walls survive. sur vive. One campaign and war and has won 29 Victoria section, known as Captain’s Walk , recalls the fact that Napoleonic soldiers were held prisoner Crosses and over 100 Battle Honours. here, with the officers being allowed to exercise However, though its history is long and varied, along part of the walls. walls. Found in another another of the it is the regiment’s participation in the Zulu town’s old buildings, the elegant and impressive  wars that is best remembered. The regiment’s bravery was immortalised in the film Zulu  former Old Shire Hall is the Brecknock  starring Michael Caine. It recalls the heroic Museum where visitors can see the old assize defence of Rorke’ Rorke’ss Drift in 1879, when 141 court, as well as take in the extensive collection men from the regiment were attacked by 4000 of artefacts and oth other er items from past Zulus. Nine VCs were awarded here in a single centuries, including the museum’s large day. As well as having the River Usk flowing  collection of Welsh love spoons. through the town, Brecon is also home to the  The town’s second museum is equally  ‘cups’, 3 inches deep and wide, have been hollowed out. These would be filled with tallow and a wick to provide lighting for the monks’ nocturnal services. Housed in a 16thcentury tithe barn is the cathedral’s imaginative Heritage Centre.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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 were excavated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal , a beautiful Welsh waterway that used to bring  1924, and sections sections of the outer wall – in coal and limestone into the town. Work started places 10 feet high – and traces traces of gates can on the canal in 1797, and a superb viaduct be seen. carries it across the River Usk just outside the In the 5th century, century, the daughter of the local town. Currently, Currently, some 37 miles of the canal ruler was sent to Ireland to marry a local has been restored and there are attractive prince. They had a son, whom they named  walks along the canal towpath. Pleasure Brychan, and he was sent back to Wales to live cruises on both motorised and horse-drawn  with his grandfather. It is from him that the barges are available and the canal basin in the name of the town and the county is derived. town has been reconstructed and is now  Brychan’s daughter was Tudful and she proving to be an attraction in its own right. eventually became a holy woman who was  The first evidence evidence of a settlement in the killed by Irish invaders in AD480. It is from area is the remains remains of the Roman Roman fort  Y Gaer, her that the town of Merthyr Tydfil, Tydfil, 20 miles  which lie two miles west west of the town. First to the south, gets its name, ‘merthyr’ being the built in around AD75, the fort was rebuilt  Welsh for martyr. Well-known natives of  twice before it was finally abandoned in about Brecon include Dr Hugh Price, founder of   AD290. A garrison for the 2nd Legion and the  Jesus College, Oxford, and the celebrated  Vettonian  V ettonian Spanish cavalry, cavalry, parts of the fort actress Sarah Siddons who was born in 1755 at

ALLTYBRAIN FARM COTTAGES

 Alltybrain Farm, Farm, Llandefaelog Fach, Fach, Nr Brecon, South Powys LD3 9RB Tel: 01874 690214 / 07725 106034 e-mail: rose@ rose@alltybrainfar alltybrainfarm.co.uk m.co.uk website: www.alltybrainfarmcottages.co.uk Situated four miles from the market town of Brecon, Alltybrain Farm Cottages offers five star self catering accommodation in a private and peaceful location. There are two cottages named “Damson” and “Duck” and each sleep two people. The adjacent hayloft with dormitory style bedroom sleeps up to four people. Guests can enjoy spectacular views of Pen y Fan and the Brecon Beacons National Park from every window. This idyllic rural retreat is located within the grounds of a smallholding with its own orchard, stream and resident ducks and chickens.

PWLLGLOYW ARMS

Pwllgloyw, Nr Brecon, South Powys LD3 9PY  Tel: 01874 690282  The Pwllgloyw Arms is set within a valley amongst beautiful countryside and is the only pub situated between the historic market towns of Builth Wells and Brecon. This welcoming family run pub offers a fantastic menu of home cooked dishes created using local produce where possible. Inside the cosy bar and lounge has comfortable sofas and the restaurant seats up to 30 people. Outside there is ample car parking and a garden area with tables and chairs positioned next to a picturesque stream. The en-suite bed and breakfast accommodation is comfortably furnished and each room is equipped with a television and tea and coffee making facilities. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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the Shoulder of Mutton Inn in the High Street. The inn has since been renamed the ‘Sarah Siddons Inn’ and has a plaque commemorating the actress.

View from Pen y Fan, Libanus

Around Brecon LLANFRYNACH

2 miles S of Brecon on on the B4458  B4458  A Parish Church of St Brynach

Housed in an 18th century warehouse in this pretty village, the Water Folk  canal. Museum tells the story of life on the canal. Horse-drawn boat trips start from here, and sometimes a blacksmith can be seen at work.  The Par Parish ish Church Church of St Brynach is  Victorian, though it has a medieval tower. St Brynach was Irish and came to Wales in the 6th century to preach and spread Christianity. On arriving in what is now Pembrokeshire, he caught the eye of the daughter of a local chieftain. He resisted her advances and was then attacked and beaten for doing so.

LIBANUS

4 miles SW SW of Brecon on the A470  B National Park Visitor Centre C Twyn y Gaer C Bedd Illtyd

D Corn Du

D Pen y Fan

D Brecon Beacons National Park

Major. The Brecon Beacons are a small part of  the National Park and were given to the National Trust in 1965. This gift included the sandstone peaks of  Pen y Fan (at 2906 feet, the highest point south of Snow Snowdon) don) and Corn become one of the most Du. This area has become popular parts of the UK with walkers. walkers. The area is also important for sub-alpine plants and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. But the very popularity popularity of the Beacons Beacons with  walkers has caused great problems, exacerbated by military manoeuvres and the sheep that have grazed here since Tudor times. Erosion is the biggest problem and the National Trust has put in place an ambitious ambitious programme of footpath and erosion repair.

YSTRADFELLTE

12 miles miles SW of Brecon off the A405 A4059  9 

 To the northwest of this attractive hamlet on A Parish Church of St Mary C Maen Madog Mynydd Illtyd common is the National Park  D Fan Llia D Fan Nedd D Porth-yr-Ogof  Visitor Centre where visitors can find out about the Park  Park from from displays and presentations,  This village is a recognised hiking centre and and also enjoy refreshments in the tea rooms. the area of classic limestone limestone countryside  There are some interesting remains to be seen around aroun d it is one of the most impressive impressive in the in the area. Twyn y Gaer, a Bronze Age burial British Isles. The Par Parish ish Church Church of St Mary is chamber, and Bedd Illtyd, a more modest mainly 16th century century,, and has a font of the same ancient monument monument said to be the grave of St date. The narrow road heading north from the Illtyd, the founder founder of the monastery monastery at Llantwit  village climbs sharply and squeezes its way  A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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along a narrow valley between the 2074-feet high Fan Llia on the east side, and the 2176feet high Fan Nedd on the west. The Maen Madog is a nine-foot high standing stone with a Latin inscription proclaiming that Dervacius, son of Justus Justus,, lies here.  To the south of Ystradfe  To Ystradfellte llte is Porth-yrOgof , a delightful area with a collection of  dramatic waterfalls as the River Mellte descends through woodland.

CRAIG-Y-NOS

15½ miles SW of Brecon on the A4067  A Craig-y-Nos Castle

B Dinosaur Park

B MorganBros. Shire Horse Centre D Craig-y-Nos Country Park D National Showcaves Centre for Wales B Iron Age Farm

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 S   O  U  The National Showcaves Centre for Wales  T  is centred on the largest complex complex of cav caverns erns in  H northern Europe, Europe, and lies to the north north of this  P  YSTRADGYNLAIS  O  village. Discovered by local farmers in 1912, 18½ miles SW of Brecon on the B4599   W the caverns have taken 315 million years to  Y F Y Garn Goch  S  form and they include both the longest and  A Situated at the top end of the Tawe Tawe Valley, Valley, the largest showcaves in Britain. The Cathedral  N  which stretches down to the city of Swansea,  D Cave, as its name suggests, is like the interior and close to the boundary boundary of the Brecon  T  of a great cathedral, and modern modern lighting and  H Beacons National Park, Ystradgynlais is a music accentuate the atmosphere. Near the  E former mining community. Iron was produced entrance is a display on cave dwellers dwellers of the  B   R  here as far back as the early 17th century and past. Dan Dan-yr-Ogof -yr-Ogof has a series series of lakes  E the legacy of this industrious industrious past can still be connected by passages, which you can explore  C  O seen, although the area surrounding the village as well. Within Bone Cave, 42 human  N is known as waterfall country and is popular skeletons have been discovered, many of them  B   with walkers, ramblers and cavers.  E dating back over 3000 years to the Bronze  A  A local legend tells of three cauldrons cauldrons,, filled  Age. Deer bones more than 7000 years old  C  O have also been discovered. Exploring the  with gold, that are buried beneath  Y Garn  N underground caverns is only one aspect of  Goch – the red cairn – on the summit of   S  Mynydd y Drum, to the east of the town. The Mynydd story goes that one day a young girl will come to claim the treasure, which, until then, is protected by demons. To To prevent anyone trying to take the gold, the legend also tells of  a wizard and his apprentice who attempted to overcome the demons with their magic. While the elements elements raged, a spirit on a wheel wheel of fire swept the apprentice out of the protective circle he had made and gave him a lighted candle, saying that as long as the candle burned his life would last. As soon as the candle was spent the apprentice died and the  wizard, terrified, fled from the mountain.

this interesting attraction. There is also an award-winning  Dinosaur Park , where life-size replicas of the creatures creatures that roamed the earth during Jurassic times can be seen

 At the Morgan Bros. Shire Horse Centre,  Twm the ‘talking sheepdog’ takes visitors on a fascinating journey back in time to when Shire horses reigned supreme at ‘Dan-yr-Ogof  Farm’. You can meet Dai the blacksmith and  visit Tommy Morgan in his Victorian kitchen.  The magnificent shire horses still pull farm  wagons around and the other farm animals are never far away - Shetland ponies, donkeys,  Welsh cobs, alpacas, cows, goats, pigs, ducks

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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and geese are all to be seen. The replica Iron  Age Farm gives a realistic realistic idea of how the farmers lived in that era.  To the east of the village lies Craig-y-Nos  To Country Park  where visitors can enjoy the unspoilt countryside and the landscaped country parkland of the upper Tawe Tawe Valley. Valley.  The mansion in the country park, known as Craig-y-Nos Castle, was once the home of  the 19th-century opera singer Madame  Adelina Patti. She bought the estate in 1878 as a home for herself and her second husband, the tenor Ernesto Nicolini. She installed an aviary, a little theatre modelled on Drury Lane, and a winter garden that was subsequently  moved to Swansea’s Victoria Park. Patti was born in Madrid in 1843, 1843, the daughter daughter of a Sicilian tenor, and achieved fame in New York  at an early age. Her first husband was the Marquis de Caux, her second Ernesto

Nicolini, and her third the Swedish Baron Cedarström, whom she married in the Roman Catholic church at Brecon in 1898. The castle is now a hotel.

SENNYBRIDGE

7½ miles miles W of Brecon on on the A40  A40  A Castell Ddu

B Disgwylfa Conservation Centre

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 S   O Situated along along the southern edge of the  U Mynydd Epynt and on the northern border of   T   H the Brecon Beacons National Park, this village  P  is very much a product product of the industrial industrial age. It  O  W only began to develop after the railways  Y arrived here in 1872, when it became a centre  S  for livestock trading. However, the remains of   A  N Castell Ddu, just to the west of the village,  D provides evidence of of life here from an earlier  T   H time. Dating from the 14th century, this was  E the home of Sir Reginald Aubrey Aubrey,, trusted  B  friend of of Bernard of of Newmarch, Newmarch, a Norman  R   E  C  O TRECASTLE ANTIQUES AND SALVAGE CENTRE  N  B  Trecastle, Powys LD3 8UN   E Tel: 01874 638007   A  C website: www.trecastleanti www.trecastleantiques.co.uk ques.co.uk / www.kingdomofr www.kingdomofrust.co.uk ust.co.uk /  O www.upcyclers.co.uk  N On the main A40 trunk road at the edge of the stunning Brecon  S  Beacons national park lies the village of Trecastle. During the 19th centuaryTrecastle was an important coaching stop and incorporated 16 shops,2 schools and held 8 annual fairs! Now one of the old schools has become home to Trecastle Antiques and Salvage Centre for the past 14 years. As 11 diverse antique and reclamation dealers from the locality,we aim to offer a wide range of wonderful,lovingly restored treasures. Our stock is fascinating and extensive,traditional through to recycled retro.Country and renovated furniture along with agricultural bygones,tools,salvage and gardenalia reflect our rural surroundings. If you are looking for inspiration for the home then pictures,rugs,kitchenalia,records,books and collectable’s are all here,alongside jewelry,vintage clothing,medals and much much more. A warm welcome to everyone 7 days a week including all bank holidays 10am-5pm. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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knight who was was granted tracts of land in the area in the 11th-century, and who founded Brecon Priory. Two waymarked walks have been opened on the Sennybridge army training  area, beginning at Disgwylfa Conservation Centre on the B4519. The centre has an interactive learning centre and military and conservation conserva tion displays. displays. One of the walks is accessible to disabled visitors.

Crickhowell A Crickhowell Castle A Parish Church of St Edmund A Crickhowell Bridge

C Crug Hywell

E Pwll-y-Wrach Nature Reserve

Situated in the beautiful valley of the River Usk and with a backdrop backdrop of the Black  Mountains that rise to the north, Crickhowell

is a charming little town with a long history.  The town takes its name from the Iron Age fort, Crug Hywell (Howell’s Fort) that stands on the flat-topped hill above the town that is aptly named Table Mountain. The remains of  another stronghold, Crickhowell Castle, can be found in the town’s large park. This was once one of the most important important fortresses in this mountainous region of Wales. Built in the 11th century, it is also known as Alisby Castle, after a Norman knight who once owned it. Only the motte and two shattered towers remain of the Norman fortress, fortress, which was stormed by Owain Glyndwr and abandoned in the 15th century.  The most impressive structure in this thriving market town is the picturesque and famous Crickhowell Bridge, which dates from the 17th century and spans the River Usk in the heart of the town. Still carrying  carrying 

THE COURTROOM CAFE

High Street, Crickhowell Crickhowell NP8 1BD 1BD Tel: 01873 812497  Heart warming food  from the heart of Crickhowell  The Courtroom Cafe offers delicious home-made hot meals, salads, snacks and cakes, all freshly prepared on the premises, using locally sourced ingredients combined with over 30 years of catering experience. The family ran cafe offers a wide menu full of wholesome and heart warming food, with everything available to take away, making it a favourite amongst the local community and a real treat for visitors to the picturesque market town of Crickhowell. Situated in the regal surroundings of first floor of the town’s Victorian courtroom, it provides a unique outlook across the heart of the town for up to 40 diners. Both Child and disabled friendly and complete with wheelchair lift, you can relax and watch the world go by whether it be over a traditional breakfast, lunchtime meal or afternoon tea. Open 9am -5pm Mon – Friday, 10am – 4pm Sun Call 01873 812 497 if you wish to make a reservation A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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Around Crickhowell

traffic today, the bridge is unique in that it has 13 arches visible on one side and only 12 on the other! For the rest, this is a pleasant place TRETOWER to explore, with some fine Georgian 2½ miles NW of Crickhowell on the the A479  architecture and an imposing parish church. St A Tretower Court and Gardens A Tretower Castle Edmund’s was founded in the 12th century  by Lady Sybil Pauncefote whose father, Sir  This quiet village in the Usk Valley boasts two Hugh Turberville, owned the castle. Effigies impressive medieval buildings –  Tretower of Sybil and her husband, husband, the wonderfully  wonderfully  Court and Gardens and Tretower Castle named Sir Grimbald, can be seen in the (both administered by CADW). The elder of  sanctuary. In the graveyard is buried Sir these historic sites is the castle, though all that George Everest, the Surveyor-General in India remains on the the site of the original original Norman after whom the world’s highest mountain was motte is a stark keep that dates from the 13th named. He was born in what is now the century. The castle was built in this valley to Manor Hotel in Crickhowell in 1790. discourage Welsh rebellion but, nevertheless, it Crickhowell is popular with those looking   was besieged by Llywelyn the Last and almost for outdoor activities such as walking because destroyed by Owain Glyndwr in 1403. of its close proximity to the Black Mountains  Adjacent to the castle remains stands the and the National Park. Close by is Pwll-yCourt, a magnificent fortified manor house Wrach Nature Reserve in a steep-sided  with its origins in the 15th century. It served  valley. Owned by the Brecknock Wildlife as a very desirable domestic residence for the  Trust, this woodland reserve has a waterfall Picard family right up until 1783 and many  and also a great variety variety of flora, for which it additions and alterations were made during  has been designated a Site of Special those years. The 15th-century woodwork here Scientific Interest. and the wall walk, with Crickhowell Castle

its 17th-century roof  and windows, are outstanding. The fact that the rooms are devoid dev oid of furnishings or works works of art draws the eye instead to the details of the remarkable medieval craftsmanship of the architecture. The Court’s gardens are particularly interesting.  The original late 15thcentury centu ry layout of the gardens has been re-

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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created in such a manner that the owner of  the time, Sir Roger Vaughan, would still recognise them. Among the many delightful features here are a tunnel arbour planted with  vines and white roses (Sir Roger was a  Yorkist), an enclosed arbour and a chequerboard garden. They are all best seen in the early summer.

the navigators lying on their backs and ‘walking’ along the walls. Further south lies the Talybont Reservoir, constructed in the 1930s. In this narrow wooded valley on the southeast slopes of the Brecons there are several forest trails starting from the car park at the far end of the reservoir reservoir..

LLANGORS

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 S   O  U 8 miles NW of Crickhowell on the the B4560  TALYBONT-ON-USK  T  7 miles NW NW of Crickhowell on the B4558  B4558   H A Parish Church of St Paulinus  P  D Talybont Reservoir D Llangors Lake I Llangorse Multi-Activity Centre  O  W Strictly speaking this attractive village should  The Parish Church of St Paulinus dates  Y be called Talybont-on-Caerfanell since it is that from the 15th century, though there was much  S  river that flows through it to join the Usk just rebuilding in Victorian times. It may have been  A  N to the south. Nearby, the Monmouthshire and built on the site of a monastery that w was as  D Brecon Canal passes through the 375-yard founded in the 7th century and continued up  T   H long Ashford Tunnel. When it opened in 1800, until the 11th century centur y. To To the south of the  E boats were ‘legged’ through the tunnel with  village, which is sometimes spelled Llangorse,  B   R   E  C WELSH VENISON CENTRE  O  N Beacons Farm Shop, Middlewood Farm, Bwlch,  B   Nr Brecon LD3 7HQ  E Tel: 01874 730929 Fax: 01874 730556   A  C e-mail: [email protected]  O website: www.welshveniso www.welshvenisoncentre.c ncentre.co.uk o.uk and   N www.beaconfarmshop.co.uk  S  The Welsh Venison Centre can be found in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park near the village of Bwlch. Offering a large choice of locally produced meats and specialising in venison, the firm was established in 1985 and is owned and run by Andrew and Elaine Morgan. They are passionate about putting the customer first and superb animal husbandry alongside the highest standards of animal welfare is paramount.

With decades of experience in farming, breeding and protecting deer, the Welsh Venison Centre produces premium quality venison for wholesale. New purpose built premises opened in 2006 and also house the Beacons Farm Shop selling lamb, beef, pork, specialist meats and sausages alongside vegetables, fresh milk, fruit juices and free range eggs. There is also an extensive delicatessen department and a range of gifts and items for the home including deer and sheepskin rugs. The centre is open from Monday to Saturday, including Bank Holidays, and it is just 40 minutes from Cardiff and the Severn Bridge. The Welsh Venison Centre visits many well known festivals around the country and they offer outside catering for events as well as a nationwide mail order service. A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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their crime would be avenged, not on them, but on the ninth generation of  their family. One night, years later, a great flood burst from the hills, drowning the surrounding land and its inhabitants. It is still said today that a city lies beneath the water.

TALGARTH

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 S   O 10½ miles N of Crickhowell on the A47 A479  9   U  T   H A Parish Church of St Gwendoline Sunset across Llyn Llangors Lake  P  A Bronllys Castle G Hywell Harris  O  W lies the largest natural lake in South Wales Lying in the foothills of the Black Mountains Mountains,,  Y Llangors Lake (Llyn Syfaddan). Around four  Talgarth is an attractive market town with  S   A miles in circumference and following its way  narrow streets that boasts many historic  N round a low contour in the Brecon Beacons, associations as well as some fine architecture.  D the waters of this lake were, in medieval medieval times,  The 15th-century Pari Parish sh Church of of St  T   H thought to have miraculous properties. Traces Gwendoline is the burial place of  Hywell  E of a prehistoric lake village have been found Harris (1714–73), an influential figure in the  B   R  here and in 1925 a 15ft long oak dug-out establishment of Welsh Methodism. Harris  E canoe dating from around AD800 was  was also instrumental in establishin establishingg a  C  O retrieved. It can be seen in the museum at religious community, ‘The Connexion’, which  N Brecon. Today, the lake attracts numerous  was organised on both religious and  B   visitors looking to enjoy not only the setting,  E industrial lines.  A but also the wide variety variety of sporting and  Although this is now a quiet and charming   C  O leisure activities, such as fishing, horse riding  place, Talgarth once stood against the  N and sailing, that can be found here. To the east Norman drive into Wales. Wales. Some of the  S  of the lake, lake, the Langorse Multi-Activity Centre offers abseiling, potholing, log  climbing, a high-level rope course and an indoor climbing centre.

Naturally, the lake is associated with a legend and local stories suggest that the land beneath the lake once belonged to a cruel and greedy princess. Though her lover was poor, she agreed to marry him only if he brought brought her great riches. So the lover set out to accomplish his task and in so doing robbed and murdered a wealthy merchant, giving the riches to his princess. However, the merchant’s ghost returned to warn the happy couple that

defensive structures can still be seen today –  the tower of the church and another 13th century tower that now houses the Tourist Information Centre - though it has also served time as a jail.

On the outskirts of Talgarth stands Bronllys Castle (CADW), a well-preserved centuries old keep built by the Norman baron Bernard of Newmar Newmarch. ch. Originally Originally a motte and bailey castle, it was later replaced with a stone edifice. It is now a lone 80ft high tower standing on a steep mound. Currently, only the exterior may be viewed as the interior is deemed unsafe.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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HALL FARM BARN

Hall Farm, Farm, Llangenny, Crickhowel Crickhowell,l, Powys NP8 1ET  Tel: 01873 811200  e-mail: jane@the-h [email protected] all-farm-barn.eclipse.co.uk .uk website: www.hall-farm-barn.co.uk Nestled in the glorious, stunning countryside of the Brecon Beacons National Park is a luxury home from home. Hall Barn Farm is a converted mountain stone barn, offering a serene location for those wishing to escape the busyness of everyday life on a self catering basis. Previously used by the family farm as sheep pens, the barn has been skillfully restored, retaining structure and features, awarding the barn a five star grading from the Welsh Tourist Board. The barn has oak flooring running throughout, and is furnished to a high standard with unique bits and bobs aquired through the family. The kitchen is modern and is well equipped with all the much needed necessities. The living room features original beams, wood burner, large comfy sofas, TV and DVD player. The cottage sleeps a maximum of 5 people in 3 charming bedrooms each with built in wardrobes, and there is one large family bathroom with shower and washroom located downstairs. The games room (situated across the courtyard to the outbuilding) offers the perfect place to have fun with friends and includes a 3/4 size snooker table and an ‘eight-in-one’ games table for table tennis, skittles, air hockey, table tennis, cheques, billiards and more.

LLANGYNIDR

4 miles W of Crickhowell on on the B4558  B4558  C Chartists’ Cave

 To the south of this riverside village, on the  To open moorland moorland of Mynyd Mynydd d Llangynidr, is the members of the Chartists’ Cave where members movement stored ammunition during their active years in the mid-19th century.

LLANGATTOCK

1 mile mile SW of Cric Crickhowe khowellll off the A407 A4077  7  A Parish Church of St Catwg E Craig-y-Cilau Nature Reserve

 The Pari Parish sh Church of St Catwg, which was founded sometime during the early 6th

century, is dedicated to one of Wales’ most honoured saints. Born in around AD497, by  the end of his life, in around AD577, AD577, he had become a bishop and taken the name Sophias.  The church’s large tower is from the 16th century while the rest rest of the building dates dates from the 14th century and later. It was restored restore d in Victorian times, but most of the medieval features can still be seen.  To the southwest of the village, towards  To the boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park, lies the Craig-y-Cilau Nature Reserve. With more than 250 plant species and over 50 kinds of birds breeding within the area, area, this is one of the richest richest reserves in the National Park.

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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IMAGE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS

Some images in this publicationhave been supplied by  http://www.geograph.org.uk  and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. To view a copy of this license, license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. COPYRIGHT HOLDERS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Cwmh Cw mhir ir Ab Abbe beyy, Ab Abbe beyy-Cw Cwmm-Hi Hirr Clock Towe werr, Hay-on-Wye Clyro Church, Clyro

© Ei Eiri rian an Ev Evan anss

© Stephen McKay

© Andy Dolman

Cambrian Woollen Mills, Llanwrtyd Wells  © Martin Loader

pg 6 

View from Pen y Fan, Libanus

© Paul

pg 26  

pg 15  Cr Cric ickh khow owel elll Ca Cast stle le,, Cr Cric ickh khow owel elll

© Ke Keit ithh Sa Salv lves esen en

pg 30

pg 19   Ll Llyn yn Ll Llan angor gorss La Lake ke,, Ll Llan angor gorss

© Du Dunc ncan an Ha Hawle wleyy

pg 32 

pg 21

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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TOWNS, VILLAGES AND PLACES OF INTEREST Pwll-y-Wrach Nature Reserve 30

A

St Edmund’s 30

Abbey-cwm-Hir 6

E

Cwmhir Abbey 6  The Hall at Abbey-Cwm-Hir 6 

Elan Village 7 Caben Coch 7 

Abergwesyn 22

Elan Valley 7 

  Abergwesyn Pass 22 

B

Erwood 21

Bleddfa 10

H

Erwood Station Craft Centre and Gallery 21

Brecon 23 Brecknock Museum 24

Hay-on-Wye 13 Butter Market 17 

Brecon Castle 23

Cheese Market 17 

Brecon Cathedral 23

Clock Tower 17 

Captain’s Walk 24

Festival of Literature and the Arts 15 

Heritage Centre 24

Hay Castle 17 

 Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal 25 

Hay Motte 17 

South Wales Wales Borderers Museum 24 Y Gaer 25 

Builth Wells 20 Castle Mound 20 Cefn Carn Cafall 21

Hay-on-Wye Craft Centre 17 

K Knighton 8 Glyndwr’s Glyndwr ’s Way 9 

Groe Park 21

Kinsley Wood Wood 10

Parish Par ish Church Church of St Mary 20

Offa’s Dyke Centre Centre 9 

Royal Welsh Show Ground 20

Pinners Hole 10

Wayside Arts Centre 20

C

Spaceguard Centre 9 

L

Cilmery 21  Memorial to Llywelyn the Last Last 21

Clyro 19 Clyro Castle 19  Cwm Byddog 19  Parish Par ish Church Church of of St Michael Michael 19 

Craig-y-nos 27 Craig-y-Nos Castle 28  Craig-y-Nos Country Park 28  Dinosaur Park 27  Iron Age Farm 28   Morgan Bros. Shire Horse Centre 27   National Showcaves Centre for Wales Wales 27 

Crickhowell 29

Libanus 26 Bedd Illtyd 26  Corn Du 26   National Park Park Visitor Centre 26  Pen y Fan 26  Twyn y Gaer 26 

Llandrindod Wells 4   Abercamlo Bog 5  Bailey Einion 5  Castell Collen 5  Heart of Wales Line 5    National Cycle Collection 5  Old Parish Parish Church Church of of Llandrindod 5  Parish Church of the Holy Trinity 5 

Crickhowell Bridge 29 

Radnor Forest 5 

Crickhowell Castle 29 

Radnorshire Museum 5 

Crug Hywell 29 

Rock Park 5  Victorian Festival 5 

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop?  www.  www.find findsomewhere.co.uk  somewhere.co.uk 

TOWNS, VILLAGES AND PLACES OF INTEREST Llanfrynach 26 Parish Par ish Church Church of St Brynach Brynach 26  Water Folk Museum 26 

R Rhayader 6 Gigrin Farm 7 

Llangammarch Wells 22

Rebecca Riots 6 

  John Perry 22 

Rhayader Castle 6 

Theophilus Evans 22 

Welsh Royal Crystal 7 

Llangattock 33 Craig-y-Cilau Nature Reserve 33 Parish Par ish Church Church of St Catwg Catwg 33

Llangors 31

Wye Valley Valley Walk Walk 7 

S Sennybridge 28

Langorse Multi-Activity Centre Centre 32 

Castell Ddu 28 

Llangors Lake 32 

Disgwylfa Conservation Centre 29 

Parish Church of of St Paulinus Paulinus 31

St Harmon 7

Llangynidr 33

Gilfach Farm Farm Nature Reserve 8 

Chartists’ Cave 33

Llanwrtyd Wells 21

Parish Par ish Church Church of St Harmon Harmon 7 

T

Cambrian Woollen Woollen Mill 22  Llyn Brianne 22 

Talgarth 32

William Williams 22 

Bronllys Castle 32 

World Wor ld Bog Snorkelling Championship 22 

Hywell Harris 32 

N

Parish Church of St Gwendoline 32 

Talybont-on-Usk 31 New Radnor 12   New Radnor Castle 12 

Talybont Reservoir 31

Tretower 30

Parish Par ish Church Church of St Mary Mary 12 

Newbridge on Wye 23 Drover’s Statue 23 Parish Church of All Saints 23

O

Tretower Court and Gardens and Tretower Castle 30

Y Ystradfellte 26 Fan Llia 27  Fan Nedd 27 

Old Radnor 12 Parish Par ish Church Church of St Stephen Stephen 12 

P

  Maen Madog 27  Parish Par ish Church Church of St Mary 26  Porth-yr-Ogo Porthyr-Ogoff 27 

Ystradgynlais 27 Painscastle 19

Y Garn Goch Goch 27 

Castell Paen 19  Parish Par ish Church Church of St Peter Peter 20 Tawny Owl Animal Park and Craft Centre 20

Presteigne 10 Duke’s Arms 11   Judge’s Lodging 12    Mary Morgan 12  Parish Par ish Church Church of St Andrew Andrew 12  The Radnorshire Arms 11

A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks

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