A Welsh Weekend

Monument to Llewelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan at Llandovery
Read more about him HERE

Years ago I watched a film with the longwinded title "An Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain"...a sweet but slightly boring tale set in 1917, about two English cartographers (the pompous Garrad and his junior, Anson) who arrive at the fictional Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw ("Rough Fountain" in Welsh) to measure its "mountain" – only to cause outrage when they conclude that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet. The villagers conspire with Anson (played by Hugh Grant) to delay the cartographers' departure while they build an earth cairn on top of the hill to make it high enough to be considered a mountain.

This film was forefront in my mind this past long weekend in Carmarthenshire, where, without wanting to make a mountain out of a molehole, I was slightly disappointed to see what in my book would be hailed as hills, but are most certainly mountains to the fiercely proud Welsh. Very beautiful, nonetheless!

It was a lovely, relaxing weekend of long walks and overeating. The weather was better than we'd hoped for...it did rain (a lot!) but somehow we managed to avoid the odd deluge and hail storm with impeccable timing and even enjoyed a few hours' sunshine. Our base was a cosy cottage with log stove and beamed ceilings, the perfect place to return after some pretty strenuous hiking.

We saw ruined castles, sheep, wild ponies, sheep, goats, sheep, a cave, forests, sheep, rivers and waterfalls, sheep and lovely stone churches and cottages (did I mention we saw some sheep?). I felt at one with nature...and indeed when nature called....ladies you will be thrilled to learn....I put my hot pink She Wee to some field tests. I can report it works a treat (or should that be trickle?).

A selection of photos from the weekend (click on any to enlarge)....

Carreg Cennen Castle

Carreg Cennen Castle

Lambs

Goat and kids

Wild ponies

Foal

Usk Reservoir

Stream

Cave

Looking down to Myddfai village

Myddfai parish church (origins 14th century)

Sheep

More sheep

Cloudy evening

A different type of mountain...

Hope your weekends were as good!