The Real Wales

Farm ruins at Bryn Ambor, near Nant Gwernog, Ceredigion ©

Tŷ Unnos (plural Tai Unnos) means ‘one night house’ in Welsh and is an old Welsh tradition dating back to the period between the seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries.

It was believed that if a person could build a house on common land in one night, the land then belonged to them.  The test was to have a fire burning in the hearth by the following morning, then the land around the house could be extended by the distance they could throw an axe from the four corners of the house.

Most Tai Unnos were originally made of turf and soil, with a roughly thatched roof.  Once built, the walls could be replaced with clay and stone.  The settlers usually worked in local quarries and mines and built smallholdings which they farmed.

Ruins at Bryn Ambor, Cwm Pysgotwr Fawr, Ceredigion ©

The original Tai Unnos have now disappeared, but it explains why there are so many isolated cottages dotted across areas of North and West Wales, many being rebuilds of former Tai Unnos.

One of West Wales Holiday Cottages, Maes y Bryn, was built on the site of a Tŷ Unnos on common land claimed from land forming the Preseli hills, although the grounds stretch further than the distance thrown by an axe!

Maes y Bryn

Even today, the owners pay the princely sum of 20p per year to the ancient Baronry for the cottage grounds and rights still exist for commoners to graze pigs and collect acorns on the land!

© Copyright Roger Kidd and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Balwen Ram Lamb

Balwen Lambs

Driving along a lane near our smallholding in West Wales, we stopped on occasions to admire a small group of black and brown sheep grazing in the valley.  The sheep were very striking, with white socks, white faces and very distinctive white tails.  Asking around (a risky thing to do if you are a smallholder) we found out they were Balwen sheep; one thing led to another and before you could say Bo Peep, we owned two Balwen ewes and their two ewe lambs.

Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep (Balwen means white blaze in Welsh) come from one small area of Wales, the Tywi Valley.  During a severe winter in 1947 when the area was snowbound for months, the breed almost died out and it is still listed as ‘at risk’ with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Fortunately numbers have steadily increased since the 1950’s and the breed now has the support of the Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep Society.

The arrival of our Balwen sheep provided great amusement to our sheep farming neighbours; ‘they are mountain sheep, they’ll be forever escaping’, ‘you’ll never keep them in!’ they said.  In fact they are easy to manage, hardy and healthy.  The ewes have proved to be excellent mothers, usually having one lamb in the first season and twins in following years.  Our lambs are usually born in April and it is always a pleasure to see the little jet black characters with spotless white socks and tails bouncing around the fields.  Adult rams carry a fine set of curled black horns, well worth avoiding!

Balwen Ewe

If you are travelling around West Wales have a look out for these delightful and distinctive sheep, you never know, if you get talking to a smallholder…….

Newport, South Wales - No more time...

A sentiment we hold dearly here in West Wales as the Welsh poet, William Henry Davies, expresses in the above couplet from the poem ‘Leisure’.   We found the time on this day to stand and stare and appreciate what is on our doorstep…

On our way to Melin Tregwynt we came across the delightful church of St Catherine’s, in Granston, where clumps of snowdrops decorated the ancient gravestones and the rooks ‘cawed’ high in the trees.

Ancient gravestones

Named after St Catherine of Alexandria, who was condemned to death for not renouncing her faith, she was put on a spiked wheel, which thereafter became known as the Catherine wheel. When the wheel broke, she was beheaded. She is the patron saint of philosophers and preachers and her voice was one of those allegedly heard by St Joan of Arc.

The church dates to 1877 but the site dates back to the early 12^th century. St Catherine’s is one of the churches that appear on the modern Pembrokeshire pilgrimages trails, and a leaflet with a map of this trail may be found in the church.

Simplicity

The embroideries on the altar and pulpit are based on the woollen cloth woven at Melin Tregwynt, which was our next stop.

Melin Tregwynt dates from the 18^th century, although originally a corn mill in the 17^th. Local farmers would bring their fleeces to be spun into yarn and woven into blankets. This is one of the very few woollen mills still in operation in Wales, weaving beautiful fabrics that are popular all over the world.  We started our tour of the mill with an essential cappuccino in the lovely coffee shop!  Then, suitably refreshed, we wandered into the weaving shed to watch one of the looms being threaded prior to weaving, which was fascinating. Then into the shop to see the end product… 

Oh sumptuous, delicious fabrics, beautiful jackets, cushions, throws, scarves, bags and more… it was like being in a sweet shop with all the rich colours, simply spoilt for choice!

That built up an appetite so we drove on to St Davids for lunch and a little light shopping!  What a fantastic day we had – one of the joys of living in West Wales at this time of year where there are so many wonderful places to visit out of season, when there is time to chat and enjoy the moment… and simply ‘stand and stare’…

See holiday cottages near St Davids

To say ‘I love you’ in Welsh on St Valentine’s Day is ‘dwi’n dy garu di’ and if that seems a bit tricky, why not give a unique and romantic Welsh Love Spoon instead?  The hand-carved Celtic Love Spoon has a heart to symbolise love and Celtic knot work representing two lives intertwined.

This 17^th century tradition is believed to have originated in Wales and may have evolved from decorating wooden utensils with various symbols.  It is thought that sailors used to make love spoons as a way of filling their time aboard ship, whittling away to make a spoon for their sweetheart.  Many of the young carvers were shy and unwilling to show their emotions and this was how they could convey their true feelings.  It is also thought that Welsh girls would collect love spoons, and as such, leave a trail of broken hearts behind them before settling down.

A twist in a love spoon means binding and growing together
a heart symbolises the giving of one’s true love
a chain is a wish to be together forever
a lock symbolises security
Celtic knot work represents eternal love
a dragon offers protection.

For an extra romantic touch, give your loved one an engraved love spoon from the beautiful selection at Cadwyn Gifts whilst staying in one of our romantic cottages for two here in beautiful West Wales.

The Great Glass House has landed!

What a wonderful day out we had on a crisp and sunny morning in January when we went to the Food Fair at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales.  There is always something exciting to see and do here, whatever the time of year, in beautiful West Wales!

Amazing colour of the Cornus with snowdrops

Walking up to the great glass house there were carpets of snowdrops and aconites under the trees and even some daffodils in flower.  The dazzling colour of the Cornus against the brilliant blue sky was stunning.

The Orchid House - warm and peaty

What a treat to step into the Orchid House to soak up some warmth in the steamy atmosphere, where luscious palms and ferns overhung the path and the smell of damp, warm peat hung on the air…

Then off to the great glass house to sample some delicious treats from the food fair:

Real Bread

mouth-watering home made breads from Caroline’s Real Bread Company, Brecon (will deliver anywhere!), jams, marmalades and chutneys from Sarah Cooks, beautiful meats from Carn Edward in the Gwaun Valley and lots more – not forgetting the ready-to-cook squirrel!

We sat on a bench in the sun eating a delicious picnic we had bought, feeding crumbs to a robin who also enjoyed pumpkin seeds from our pumpkin and stilton scones!

We’re now looking forward to days out this month and with St Valentine’s Day just around the corner maybe it’s a good idea to spend a few days away? It’s a great time for some bracing walks along the cliffs or beaches, over the moorland and rolling hills.  If you’re lucky enough to be able to get away now, there are some real holiday cottage bargains to be found.  Many owners are happy to offer special discounts for short breaks too.  Browse our cottage collection to find the right one for you.

Welcome in the Chinese Year of the Dragon and celebrate in a most original fashion by cheering for a Welsh Dragon on stage!

This will shift those winter blues – a little good old-fashioned fun!  Come along to the Panto and ‘hiss’ and ‘boo’ at the baddies in Cilgerran Players’ production of Aladdin!

Set in ancient China, there are plenty of silly antics, a larger-than-life Dame, the obligatory baddies, a beautiful Princess and not one, but TWO Genies.  Where’s the Dragon?  It’s behind you, of course!

The Dragon signifies success and happiness: ‘May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone’.  So we wish success to the Panto and happiness to the audience.

Why not make a weekend of it?  Blow away those cobwebs with a brisk walk on Poppit Sands and stay in one of our North Pembrokeshire cottages.

Performances in Cilgerran Village Hall are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday January 26, 27 and 28 at 7.30 p.m. with a matinée on Saturday 28 at 2.30 p.m. Tickets are on sale in Cilgerran at Pendre Garage, Camrose Stores and the Old Post Office Stores and in Cardigan at Roland’s Hairdressers (£5 and £3 for under13s).

The Patron Saint of Lovers

St Dwynwen’s Day (Dydd Santes Dwynwen) is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine’s Day and is celebrated on 25 January.

Dwynwen was a princess who lived during the 5th century and who fell in love with handsome prince Maelon.  Unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else.  In her grief she fled to the woods where she begged God to make her forget Maelon.  An angel visited her with a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.

God granted Dwynwen three wishes: her first that Maelon be thawed, her second that all hopes and dreams of lovers would be fulfilled and third, that she should never marry.  As a mark of her thanks, Dwynwen devoted herself to God’s service by becoming a nun.  She founded a convent at Llandwyn, on an island just off Anglesey, where a spring, Ffynnon Dwynwen,  has become a place of pilgrimage.

Today St Dwynwen’s Day is celebrated by lovers in many parts of Wales in a similar way to St Valentine’s Day with greeting cards and gifts.  If you’re looking for inspiration for a way to treat your special someone on St Dwynwen’s Day, why not book a romantic cottage break? It’s easy to find a cosy cottage at excellent value at this time of year and it’s the perfect time to explore uncrowded West Wales. So if you like the idea of taking long walks hand in hand or snuggling up on the sofa in front of a roaring fire, take a look at our cottages for two.

a new year begins

Every season has such a lot to offer here in West Wales: from windswept walks along the beaches to watching the seasons changing around us; as buds emerge on the trees and the first shoots of the snowdrop peep through their frosty beds, we look forward to brighter days ahead for spring is not too far away.

A wonderful place to visit is The National Botanic Gardens of Wales where  entrance is free throughout January – what a great incentive to visit because every weekend there is something going on, be it food and antique fairs, a concert, or the Woodcraft Weekend and if the weather’s cold, the great glasshouse offers a real taste of the Mediterranean!

This is such a peaceful time of year when we can really appreciate the unspoilt, beautiful landscape; why not get away from it all and spend a few days unwinding and re-charging those batteries?   If you’d like to visit the Botanic Gardens and would like somewhere to stay, take a look at our cottages in Carmarthenshire for a selection of cosy places to hide away!

The Christmas decorations are packed away for another year and we all get on with the business of 2012 but in The Gwaun Valley in Pembrokeshire they have not yet celebrated the arrival of the New Year.

When the Julian calendar was abolished in 1752 and replaced with the Gregorian calendar which had previously been approved by Pope Gregory XIII, the people of the Gwaun Valley resisted the change. Since then their New Year – called Hen Galan – has been celebrated on 13 January.

Hen Galan was once regarded as more important than Christmas in The Gwaun Valley, with special food and drink prepared well in advance. ‘Hen Galan’ is derived from hen meaning old and calan, meaning the first day of the month, the custom known as calennig (New Year’s gift) refers to the practice of singing from door-to-door on New Year’s Day.

Children would often go visiting neighbours on Hen Galan singing traditional rhymes to ‘let in’ the coming year and to wish the occupants health and happiness. Skewered fruit, such as an apple decorated with a sprig of an evergreen, were carried, which was a symbol of prosperity for the year ahead. The children hoped to receive some money or sweets for their efforts and were often invited inside the houses for refreshments.

The Gwaun rises in the Preseli Hills and flows to the sea at Fishguard. The town’s Welsh name, Abergwaun, means mouth of the Gwaun. The valley was created in the Ice Age, formed by the huge volumes of meltwater that flowed as the glaciers retreated. The Gwaun meanders through marsh, woodland and water meadows and finds its way under old bridges. It is a lovely area for walking and birdwatching, look out for redstarts, nuthatches, sparrowhawks, and dippers alongside the river.

If you would like to visit The Gwaun Valley, go to: Cottages in North Pembrokeshire, you will find a selection of cottages in the area.

The ancient Church of the Holy Cross at Mwnt

The beautiful and remote little church of pilgrimage, the church of the Holy Cross (Eglwys y Grog in Welsh) dates from the 14^th century, although a church has stood on the site since the 6^th century.

Services are very few and far between and the chance to attend the Christmas Eve service is a really special occasion.

In many parts of Wales, Christmas meant rising early (or staying up overnight) to attend the Plygain service at the parish church.  The word plygain is thought to come from the Latin words pulli (cock) and cantus (song), i.e. cock crow, referring to the fact the service occurred at, or before, dawn on Christmas morning. In the past, it could start as early as 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.

Originally plygain was an event just for men. With time, women and children began to attend as well, after helping to decorate the church or chapel in the preceding days.

However, this Christmas everyone is welcome to join the very special Christmas service at Mwnt Church.

Saturday 24 December - Christmas Eve 9.00pm