Welsh Country Magazine - What's in this Issue?

Llanwrtyd Wells is the smallest town in Britain and home to Robin Kevan, affectionately known as ‘Rob the Rubbish.’ A retired social worker, Rob has become well-known locally for getting up most days and going out to quietly clear litter from the streets and the surrounding area of his home town. Not one to ignore problems, once he’d identified the litter issue his solution was to put on a day-glo jacket, get a claw stick and clean up. Rob explained, “I understand that litter is a major problem worldwide and that there are many complex sociological reasons why it finds its way onto our streets and rural places. I also understand that there are no easy answers either. However, at 63 years of age, I feel I cannot wait for a generation of children to be educated in conventional ways about the problem." It isn’t just Llanwrtyd Wells that has benefited from Rob’s mission against rubbish, because he’s single-handedly gone and cleaned up Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike and even the base camp on Everest.

The most dramatic castle site in Wales

Focus On

by Chris Barber
Carreg Cennen Castle stands on the top of a 100 metre limestone crag above a curve in the River Cennen and it is a very dramatic site when viewed from this direction. Any enemy who approached the fortress from here would no doubt have realised that it was inaccessible. The only way that it could be stormed would be from the northern side, where the slopes are not too steep. Otherwise it would have to be siege tactics, waiting many months for the garrison to surrender when on the verge of starvation. There is a tradition that an earlier fort on the site was built by Urien Rheged (died 584AD), whose long list of titles included Lord of Is-Cennen and who is reputed to have been one of King Arthur’s knights. Of interest is the fact that for centuries a road running from the castle, through Llandeilo and northwards in the direction of his principal lands around Carlisle, was known as Heol Rheged.

The Black Gold of Pembrokeshire

Focus On

Coal and Wales may once have been synonymous but generally you’d think of the Valleys above Cardiff, with Tiger Bay at one stage being the largest coal dockyard in the world. Pembrokeshire and Saundersfoot dock do not spring to mind in quite the same way, but over the centuries their local economy was hugely influenced by the ‘black gold’ industry. The Pembrokeshire coal deposits had two real advantages. Firstly, the type of coal was a high quality anthracite. For many years this anthracite coal, claimed to be the best in the world, was shipped to southern and eastern England for the brewing industry and to Cornwall for the tin industry. The other advantage was that most of the coal deposits were found near to the surface. It was this latter fact that ensured their exploitation from medieval times. In the 17th century a typical colliery might employ 16 people working for 12 hours from 6am. The men received an “allowance” of ½d in bread each and 4d in drink to be shared among a dozen men, to be consumed during a brief rest.

Moel Famau

Walking Wales

by Tom Hutton
The highest in the Clwydian Range and visible from miles around, Moel Famau is an impressive mountain, made all the more distinctive by the ruins of the imposing Jubilee Tower that crown its 554m summit. The views from the tower are really quite breathtaking, with the North Wales coast and the Dee Estuary leading to the horizon in one direction, and the lofty mountain ranges of Snowdonia punctuating the skyline in the other. This is one of many good walks that lead to the summit. It starts at Bwlch Penbarras, high on the flanks of the hill, and drops dramatically in the early stages before eventually contouring around the range, crossing sheep pasture and dropping into remote valleys. The climb to the top is strenuous but nothing too challenging, and the return journey is an easy stroll on a good path with stunning views in all directions.

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