On the A40 at halfway between Llandovery and Brecon there is a memorial to a stage coach disaster. If your speed is as unrestrained as that of the coach driver you could miss it. There is an obelisk enclosed by iron railings, next to a busy road. At the bottom of a steep slope on…
Author: gbadmin
The Story of Gelert
Gelert is the name of a legendary dog which has become entwined with the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd. And if you don’t already know it, the knowledge that the name of the village has been translated as “Gelert’s Grave” might give you some clue where this story is going. The inscription on the tomb…
Why you should never kick a horse
Once again I was searching about in Robert Chamber’s Book of the Days from 1869 when I came across this story. It has nothing to do with Wales at all but I liked the story and felt I wanted to bring it to wider attention. Perhaps it is a well-known story, but I have never…
The Resurrectionists
I found a very interesting piece by Robert Chambers from 1869 about body snatching. When I find a grave I just try to take away the story. But in the past there was a much more sinister trade – the work of the body snatchers, or as they were sometimes known, The Resurrectionists. And yet…
Halloween in Wales
Halloween. It is one of the oldest festivals of all, and represents a curious mixture of many different traditions. The Celts called it Samhain, a festival that provided a boost for people as they entered the long dark winter months when the countryside seemed dead and the days seemed so short. Over time it became…
Returning from the Aghan Wars
Strata Florida is such a lovely name and I was always keen to go there. It is 14 miles from Aberystwyth and has a beautiful position just outside the village of Pontrhydfendigaid near Tregaron. In Welsh it is Ystrad Fflur, which means the Vale of Flowers. It is neat, well -tended and atmospheric. The arch…
Perillos
In Search of the Big One To be honest if you are a grave hunter they don’t come much bigger than this. We were in the Corbieres and we had driven beyond the spectacular hilltop castle of Salvaterre, deep into the abandoned garrigue. The castle lies above the quiet and prosperous village of Opoul-Perillos and…
Serrabona
It was as remote as you can imagine. We were in the foothills of the Canigou, the most important mountain in the Pyrenees if you are a Catalan. We were there for the Romanesque architecture. Well ,it is the sort of thing you do on a Sunday when you are on holiday. We had left …
Channel Tunnel
Finally our summer holidays have arrived and we are off to France on Sunday (26 July 2009). We are looking forward to it immensely, for all the usual reasons. The beautiful peaceful countryside, the dramatic scenery, the fantastic food and the lovely wine. We are particularly looking forward to some sunshine! We had a good…
All Souls Langham Place London
Why does it take such a long time to get out of Wales on a train? It seems to take forever. There are frequent stops as the train ambles across South Wales and the M4, when it is on its best behaviour, can be just as quick. It makes you realise how impenetrable Wales must…