Lots to see at the Plas

I was out on the Wales Coast Path at low tide on the stretch running from Llanbedrog Beach towards Pwllheli when the heavens opened! I therefore decided to revisit Plas Glyn y Weddw to avail myself of the excellent cafe and art gallery, and to see what was going on.

This is William Selwyn's portrait of R.S. Thomas. It is part of an exhibition at the Plas, of works inspired by the poetry of R.S. entitled "Correspondences".

I suspect that this is intended to be a depiction of Iago Prydderch, a character / concept that regularly appears in Thomas' poetry.

At Walking North Wales we are captivated by maps and here was an attempts to add poetry to maps featuring the three most prominent places in the life of R.S. - Manafon, Eglwys Bach and Aberdaron.

"No Truce with the Furies" - is a collection of R.S. poems that inspired this work.

There was also a collection of work by Caernarfon based Stephen J. Owen entitled "Here and There".

Stephen's work is evolving and I loved this image.

Entry to the Plas is free (although donations are gratefully accepted) but there is a small charge for parking.

The new Andrews exhibition space beneath the amphitheatre has a puzzling sound and image show on the theme of water - which is ironically exactly what I was trying to escape from!

The new woodland walks are very appealing and have recently been adorned by this sculpture display.

If anyone is looking for a great Easter gift, then this Kyffin Williams painting of Crib Goch is a snip at £38,500!

Woodland Walk at Chirk Castle

Some of my recent blogs have concerned walks that can be completed during the winter when much of the ground is completely sodden. I recently completed the Woodland Walk at Chirk Castle, a 2km circular walk starting at the visitor car park, and I heartily recommend it for such a purpose.

This is a National Trust diagram, and I followed the red route. It is slightly disorientating because the map is not aligned North - South.

The surface is generally good and acceptable for pushchairs or cycles. It is also well way-pointed with stakes marked in red.

There is a good variety of woodland, and these larch trees were particularly impressive.

This is the Chirk MDF factory - a reminder of an area which was once quite heavily industrialised with coal mines and gypsum factories.

The parkland is beautifully grassed. Offa's Dyke runs across it and there are some wonderful specimen trees. 

There are snowdrops in certain areas, which looked great when I visited.

I think everyone knows this view of Chirk Castle. It is impressive the way that it has been converted into a stately home, now owned by the National Trust. What is often forgotten is that it once looked similar to Beaumaris Castle. The round towers were much taller and there was also an outer curtain wall which is now demolished. it was knocked about a fair bit in the Civil War, when the Myddletons changed side at the wrong time.

Battle of Crogen Circular Walk

This is a walk based at Chirk Castle. Parking is free at the National Trust Car Park within the grounds. The length of the walk is 3 miles (4.8km) and will take you around 3 hours. The OS map Landranger 255 would be helpful. The terrain is easy, but very steep in places with a mixture of woodland paths and tracks through parkland. The National Trust website advertises this as open all year round. There is a downloadable pdf of the route here.

The route is very well signposted.

Contrary to what it says on the website, these permissive paths don't reopen until April the 1st. 

This is the path as it leaves the car park going north.

Near the car park there is an intriguing opportunity for kids to build a den.

Much of the walk is through woodland, but the paths are very steep in places.

The Crogen Oak, the oak at the gate of the dead, is a highlight of the walk.

The Oak at the Gate of the Dead

Following the removal of the ancient Pontfadog Oak (see recent blog post), my attention has been drawn to another ancient tree in the Ceiriog Valley. This is another oak tree and said to be approximately 100 years old. The name comes from the fact that it must have witnessed the Battle of Crogen which took place in 1165 at a site nearby. The fallen soldiers were buried at a place called "Adwy'r Beddau" - the gap of the graves. This may refer to a gap in the valley, or a gap in Offa's Dyke - possibly corresponding to a gate, which might explain its English Name as "Gate of the Dead".

The Oak of the Gate of the Dead is easily found on the B4500, some 2 miles from Chirk as the road runs up the Ceiriog Valley.

The tree is clearly in a very poor way, though it is still alive. When I visited, the surrounding ground was very wet and a serious storm could finish it off unless attention is given to the drainage.

The tree is badly split. I will return in the summer, and assess its chances. 

According to Rob McBride's blog, the tree has been nominated for European Tree of the Year 2014 by the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw). This is an award for trees that may not be the most beautiful, but are perhaps the most "lovable" with the most significance to their community.

St David's Day Fun in Bala

The Bala Tourist Association has a whole load of fun events planned to celebrate St David's Day tomorrow. You can find more information at their website.

Among the events is a guided walk around Bala's points of historical interest, taking place at 11am and 3pm. Ring 01678 520036 for more information.

The Clean Up Begins!

The storms rain and flooding that occurred during the winter have wreaked havoc on parts of the Welsh Coast and brought a lot of rubbish in along the shore line. All around the coast of Wales there are now volunteers clubbing together to clear this up.

Nathalie Harrison, Chair of the Aberdaron Tourist Link Group.

There are lots of volunteer groups in Wales, and you can find details of them on the Keep Wales Tidy website - www.keepwalestidy.org. In Aberdaron, the Tourist Link Group organise their own clean up with support from Gwynedd Council. It was fun on a sunny day, and enjoyed by all.

The whole gang.

The kids especially enjoyed themselves.

As you can see, it's a big beach to clean!

Where can you see Offa's Dyke?

We all know that King Offa of Mercia built a large earthwork in 870 in order to mark the borders of his kingdom and to demonstrate his power and also, in part, to make sure that the Welsh didn't run off with all the cattle in a hurry. Over the years this dyke has fallen into disrepair and has been completely removed in many places. Offa's Dyke path doesn't even follow the dyke in large parts of North Wales. However, when you do come across it, it is quite startling.

I was researching a lane walk at Chirk, and here is the Dyke in good condition on the left as it runs through woodland, but completely removed on the right.

Here it is intersected by an old lane.

 

The bank reappears a little further north.

As it progresses towards Llangollen it becomes a wooded field boundary.