Walking through History
Wales is famous for its castles and formidable mountain ranges, the beautiful coast and old market towns.
There is another Wales – hidden forgotten, undiscovered.
From pre-history when the first hunter gatherers roamed the hills and forests, where Neolithic settlers honoured and buried their dead in incredible chambered tombs, where Bronze-age farmers laid out field systems in stone and where the warring Iron-age tribes created impressive ditch and bank enclosures on the high mountain tops, to the 19th Century, the landscape has been marked by man.
The coming of the Romans, the growth of Christianity and the great society of
the Early Medieval period, followed a thousand or so years later by the Norman invasion and the battles of the Welsh Princes all have left their mark on our hills and valleys. Each county in Wales has its historic landscape features and Radnorshire, with its secret valleys and rolling wild hills has an abundance, many of national importance, many yet to be discovered or understood.
Walking through History takes you to some of these fascinating places
strange earth and bank structures, lost track ways, old and abandoned
settlements, standing stones and breath-taking vistas out over an ancient and beckoning land. Take a gentle stroll or a more vigorous walk and let four thousand years of man's influence on the landscape imprint itself upon you, and you on it.
The walks are taken at a leisurely pace, not a route march! A small group enjoys the peace and beauty of the Welsh countryside, able to appreciate and enjoy the scenery
and the views on route.
All the walks are led by Stuart Fry – a landscape historian and tutor of countryside management and craft skills. Stuart holds a Masters Degree in Historical Landscape Studies and is the curator of a mobile farm history museum. Stuart has a love of the hills of Radnorshire and their history and a great ability to pass on his knowledge and enthusiasm.
Dates for 2013
Each day will start at 9.30am - whilst you enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with homemade cake, Stuart will give the background to what you will see on the walk. Then it's boots on and away. We will stop for a locally prepared buffet/picnic lunch – either outside or in inclement weather in the comfort of the farm trailer. We will then continue the walk to arrive back at Ty Gwyn in time for afternoon tea.
Level of fitness
You should be capable of walking over uneven and hilly ground for several hours and climbing over stiles. The pace of the walk will allow time to simply stand and stare and soak in the landscape and history you are seeing
What to wear and bring
You will need good comfortable walking boots and suitable clothing for the weather, it can be chillier on the open hills – so bring layers that you can take on or off according to the weather. Binoculars and cameras are a good idea.
Travel
For those wishing to travel by public transport, we can arrange collection from Llandrindod Wells station or bus stop.
