blue skies

 

The biggest bluest skies at the Elan Valley earlier this week where we went for our half term ramble. The boys were keen to see the Claerwen dam (as they had watched Top Gear's Richard Hammond drive a Landrover up the front of it on TV!).

 

 

 

The winter colours were stunning, bleached windswept grasses contrasting with the blue sparkling water.

The Claerwen river flows from the dam down through a wide boggy valley. We walked along a bridleway adjacent to the river. However the track was very waterlogged in places and after a failed attempt to jump a stream with a 5 year old on my back and ending up knee deep in a bog, we turned back! 

These beautiful wild hills definitely need a return visit (and I must remember after a long wet spell, to keep to the high ground).

walking down memory lane(s)... bwlch-y-sarnau

 

It is becoming quite a tradition to celebrate my birthday by going out on a 'Birthday Walk'. This year I wanted to rediscover the hills and lanes of my childhood. 

Bwlch-y-sarnau translates to 'pass in the hill' and is a tiny hamlet consisting of a handful of farms and cottages high up in the Radnorshire hills. We moved here in the 1970's from the Midlands and were one of the few English families to move to the area. We embraced rural life here - a way of life that has barely changed over the centuries. My sister and I attended the local school (see a celebration of the school here) and went to Sunday School at the chapel at the top of the hill.

As a family we helped out on the neighbouring farms at shearing time and to bring in the hay. We roamed the hills, collected wood from the forests and picked berries along the lanes - a wild and free childhood! It was these hills that helped to shape me into who I am today and to share them with my family and dear friends now was very special.

 

 

While searching for the correct footpath (they are rarely waymarked!) we stumbled across this wonderful old farmhouse. A new farmhouse had been built next to it. The original house was hauntingly beautiful in its slow decay. The front door was ajar, almost inviting you in... 

Back on the right path, past lichen covered trees and posts and up to the top of the hill. The skies up here are huge - this is why I love big skies...

And here is the house where I lived... how blessed I was to of ever lived here!
I think a return visit is needed with a sketchbook as I'm feeling very inspired to rediscover and record this area further - the hedgerows, the wildlife, the farmhouses, the chapel.

dams and hills

Eager to get out and blow the cobwebs away, I took the boys (and my Mum) to the Elan Valley. I used to live near here so am familiar with a lot of the area, but even so there is plenty to explore that I hadn't seen before. So after some research on the rather good Elan Valley website we set out on the Craig Cnwch walk. It is a circular walk which conveniently starts at the first of the many dams, Caban Coch. I knew this would impress the boys, especially at this time of year when it's overflowing and I wasn't wrong!

 

 

 

It was mesmerising watching the water tumble down the dam.
The footpath goes up the side of the dam giving some great glimpses of the wall of water through the trees.

 

Just when you think that that was the nerve wracking bit over with (especially with young children!) and you progress onto the calm of the reservoir, the path tests your nerves a little more as it hugs the waters edge. The boys absolutely loved it and it all added to the sense of adventure! It was good to really experience the environment you were in.

 

As the path leaves the reservoir you reach Nant-y-Gro dam. This has a very interesting history as it is connected to the Dambusters of WWII. 

 

It was built in the early stages of the dam construction to supply water to the workers and their families. As it was redundant it became the perfect place for top secret testing which helped in the development of the 'bouncing bomb'. Barnes Wallace himself visited the site for two experiments investigating the charge required to blow up a dam. You can read more about it here (at bottom of page).

Detail of the information board showing the first test in May 1942 at Nant y Gro dam

The path leaves the reservoir to climb up and around Craig Cnwch. The views are so amazing that the assent is quite enjoyable as you get to see more and more that the Elan Valley has to offer. You can't help but keep stopping to take it all in (and to take photos!)

 

 

And then you get to my favourite type of place to be - up on top of the hills with a great big sky. This is what was needed! 

As you circle the hill and descend into the valley again, it feels as though you are walking ancient paths and lanes - possible drovers roads maybe? Lichen covered walls and trees line the route.

 

The rosy cheeks and smiles of the boys in the car on the way home was testament to a great day.

Bwlch-y-Sarnau... a celebration

 

Yesterday I returned to my old childhood home up in the hills of Radnorshire. Bwlch-y-Sarnau (translates to 'gap in the hill') is in very wild, open countryside. Sheep farms and forestry dominate the landscape.

The reason for my return was to attend a celebration of past pupils and staff of the primary school. The school closed in 1990, making this one off reunion even more poignant.

 

 

We used to live on a small-holding at the bottom of the hill and my sister and I used to walk up the steep lane to school.  I had never realised what a fabulous view there was from the school windows.  

There were around 15-20 pupils in the whole school and at one time it was divided into the big class (juniors) and the little class (infants). It was very rare for any one year group to have more than 3 pupils! It was truly a wonderful experience.

The celebrations consisted of a display of photographs, some dating back to 1922. It was fascinating to see some of the local faces who I remember as elderly gentlemen as young school boys. Families rarely moved away and there are strong ties within all the neighbouring farms. I'm quite envious of the deep roots that those families have.

The baptist chapel, next door to the school played a vital role in keeping the community together, as it provided a regular social meeting place for what otherwise would be a very isolated existance. It was very fitting that part of the day's celebrations should be in the chapel, with hymns and readings, as well as memories of the school shared. The generations came together with one common theme. The celebrations concluded with the full chapel singing together... I had tears in my eyes. I was incredibly honored to have been a part of it.

 

These old photographs were inside the chapel. The original chapel, followed by the building of its 19th Century 'Arts and Crafts' inspired replacement.

I met old friends and chatted to others whom I struggled to recollect until my mind peeled back the years and the memories all came flooding back! I even met new people, one of whom used to live in our old house and that was a fascinating conversation!

I came away with a strong realisation of just how this hill and its people shaped who I am today. My love of nature, the appreciation of the simple things in life and overall the sense of community all started here. However I also realise how hard it is to live here. Jobs are few and far between if you're not farming and farming itself is incredibly difficult. The neareast shop, school, doctor is 8 miles away. Its stunning beauty can quickly become very bleak. I now have a deeper respect for the families who stayed put and continue to live a very blessed life in the 'gap in the hill'.

The old school is now run as a community centre which includes a toddler group so the sound of children can still be heard within those walls. Thank goodness...