Noson Lawen at the Round House!

A Noson Lawen, or "Merry Night" is a traditional form of entertainment in Wales, during which people gather for an evening of music, dancing, and sometimes story telling, and is similar to the Cèilidhs of Ireland and Scotland. One such event is happening very soon on Wednesday the 17th of August in the Roundhouse at Felin Uchaf. Tickets cost £5 and are available at the Porth y Swnt centre in Aberdaron or on the night.

Aberdaron beach - it’s wonderful to be beside the sea!

With so much investment in food outlets and the NT Porth y Swnt and car park, you might expect Aberdaron beach to be crowded out with holidaymakers on the sand and with boats launching from the shore. However, we can report that this is not the case. Powerboats can no longer launch from the church slipway and have to go through the NT car park instead, paying a hefty fee. This has led to their virtual disappearance. This has made the beach area around the church wall and the Ty Newydd much quieter and safer for families with young children and a lot of visitors to Manaros are choosing this as a location rather than trekking out to Whistling Sands.

The Hewlett children having fun in the breakers.

The view from the Ty Newydd Terrace. One of the few boats that are launched from Aberdaron beach these days.

Handy tips from the Rambler Association

As subscribers to the Ramblers Association newsletter we received this very handy tutorial on using a map and compass. Even in the age of GPS, knowing how to use a map and compass is a very valuable skill. GPS batteries don't last forever, after all.

Sacred Land Conference in Manaros, Aberdaron - Friday 7th to Sunday 9th October

A lot of visitors to the Llyn feel that they are in an enchanted landscape. There is now an opportunity to discover more about this and how it is connected to the life of Earth's great story, to religious inspiration, and our sense of well-being. We are holding a conference weekend at our house in Aberdaron and this is being hosted by the Reverend Tim Higgins who has moved on to the Llyn from the Bristol area. He is a Tertiary Franciscan and Anglican priest.

Guest speakers for the weekend include -

Mary Colwell who is a documentary film maker. She has 14 awards for outstanding work in film making. She advises on faith and environment and she is a brilliant speaker. See www.curlewmedia.com

Martin Palmer who is the General Secretary of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, who has recently published a book "Sacred Land - Decoding Britain's Past". See www.sacredlandproject.org.

Dafydd Hughes-Davies, the founder of Felin Uchaf, an Earth Centre and a working model of international environmental learning from heritage. This is situated in Rhoshirwaun only 3 miles from Aberdaron. See www.felinuchaf.org.







The program runs from Friday evening on the 7th of October through to the afternoon of Sunday the 9th of October. You can attend as a non resident for £45 or stay in luxury accommodation at our accommodation Manaros or nearby Afallon. Sharing with full board over 3 nights including program fees is £171 per person. £211 for singles. An extra night's accommodation can be provided at £63 for sharing and £83 for singles.

Further details can be obtained from Tim Higgins tim.tssf@gmail.com, telephone 01758 770 303

Opening of the R.S. Thomas room at Llanfaelrhys Church

Visitors to Manaros will know that we are great fans of R.S. Thomas. He was rector of Aberdaron until 1976 before retiring to Sarn Plas in Rhiw. He was a brilliant poet. The church at Llanfaelrhys was part of his parish and his wife was buried in the graveyard there. There is also a memorial stone to R.S. himself. Following the spoken evensong which takes place in the church every week at 2pm, there was the official opening of the room above the vestry as the R.S. Thomas centre. Here is a view over Bardsey and a wonderful collection of his poetry and prose works, some interesting family photographs and the chance to listen to the great man himself on the CD player.

Llanfaelrhys church stands near to the wonderful scenery of the Coast Path. We urge walkers to divert inland at Porth Ysgo so that they can see this beautiful church which is always open.

Llanfaelrhys church dates way back to the 6^th century, but most of the building is now 19^th century but with some interesting pew arrangements and a wonderful east window.

The R.S. Thomas room has a small window from which Bardsey can be seen.

There are many photographs here concerning Elsie and Gwydion, the poet’s wife and son.

Many of the books can be either purchased or read in the room itself.

Prince says Aberdaron is a "jolly good place to visit."

Yesterday Aberdaron played host to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. They visited the new bakery and the Splash fish restaurant, and walked past the Ship Hotel towards the church. Alun Harrison presented the royal couple with a photograph of the Prince's previous visit in 1978. The royals then went to the church and saw the ancient stones before moving off to see Porth y Swnt.

Alun Harrison presenting the Prince with a photo of his last visit to Aberdaron taken in 1978.

The Duchess of Cornwall meeting the pupils of Ysgol Crud y Werin in St Hywyn's church.

The Duchess sampling the work of Becws Islyn Bakery.

Moonlighting on Snowdon

The NSPCC is running a sponsored ramble to the summit of Snowdon on Saturday the 17th, and Sunday the 18th of September. The twist is that it will take place in the middle of the night by moonlight - and walkers will (hopefully) be rewarded with a spectacular sunrise at the finish followed by a celebratory brunch.

Our walkers often complain that walking up Snowdon is like queuing for the Tesco checkout in the summer, so here's a chance to go in relative peace and quiet and see the mountain in a new light.

Entry costs £29 per person plus a minimum sponsorship. Walkers can arrive on Saturday evening for an optional warm up hike, before camping. The trek will begin with a midnight breakfast. For more details see this website. If nothing else its a chance to get a free bobble hat! And it's all in a very good cause.