Category Archives: History

Going West: A Field of Peace

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Sue Vincent

We gathered by Whitesands beach, just outside St David’s in Pembrokeshire… a small group of people from all walks of life, putting aside the cares and pressures of the daily grind to explore the sacred landscape of Wales. A time … Continue reading →

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Going West: Into the Past

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Sue Vincent

As you walk through the antlered gate of the hillfort at Castell Henllys you are stepping back into the past. This is no mere historical curiosity, nor ‘just’ an educational museum… it is a real and ancient settlement,  painstakingly recreated … Continue reading →

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Going West: Back in Time

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Sue Vincent

“This is for kids.” I detected a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Granted, the site has been made into an educational experience, but the fact remains that Castell Henllys is a real archaeological site and quite unique, for while it was … Continue reading →

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Going West: The Poet’s Yew

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Sue Vincent

The rain continued as we walked from the Abbey to the church, the sky heavy and grey. Even the shelter of the trees was not enough to protect the lens from the constant drops, but it began to ease as … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Art, Birds, Churches, flight, History, Photography, Spirituality, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, Wales | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Going West: The Valley of the Flowers

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Sue Vincent

The rain hammered against the car. We’d been twiddling our thumbs for a while, attempting to keep the windows from steaming up too badly while we grazed on what we had in the glove compartment, looked at the map and … Continue reading →

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Going West: Going to the Devil

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Sue Vincent

At the end of the mountain road we had taken lies a small community clinging to the sides of the gorge above the River Rheidol. Pontarfynach, though, is named for the Afon Mynach, one of its tributaries, that tumbles, roars … Continue reading →

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Going West: Mountain Road

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Sue Vincent

We were fed and watered… very well-fed, in fact after a home-cooked Welsh breakfast at the Mid-Wales Inn… and on the road early. The weather was finally dry, the sun attempting to peep through the clouds… and there was the … Continue reading →

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Going West: Deep Magic…

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Sue Vincent

I’d seen the name when I’d planned the route… though ‘planned’ may be stretching things a bit far; I had a vague idea and my companion had a map. From Kilpeck to Rhyader, somewhere near which we would find our … Continue reading →

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Going West: Kilpeck Castle

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Why does a tiny village like Kilpeck hold such a fabulous church? Because once it wasn’t a small, forgotten place, but the seat of nobility and, according to the information board, parts of the castle still remained. We left the … Continue reading →

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Going West: Going In

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Sue Vincent

It was either going to be spectacular… or very plain. Probably the latter, as we have found that with the highly decorated churches, it tends to be one or the other, inside or out. It was, then, no surprise to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Art, Churches, Goddess, History, Photography, Sacred sites, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, travel, Wales | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments