Folklore, Fairytales and Snow
#4 A short guide to wonder and enchantment in the Land of Dragons.
This week’s adventure was one of the physical kind and found me in the land of dragons, a.k.a Pembrokeshire. By day we traversed landscapes steeped in myth and legend, and by night we tucked up in a tiny cottage nestled in a secluded wooded valley in the Preseli hills. And, quite literally, the icing on the cake was that it snowed on the last day!
The little cottage was owned by a stout smiling woman who seemed to have stepped out the pages of her own fairytale, greeting us on arrival with a thick German accent, clad in a pinafore nightdress and lace trimmed dressing gown, as a pack of pugs and one slightly mad bulldog truffled at her heels. It was a little Hansel and Gretel-esque - except without the cannibalism - and this particular witch was kind.
This marked the start of a trip filled with awe inspiring jagged landscapes, enchanted fairy waterfalls, mouth watering Welsh cakes, mythical stones and a witches cauldron. I thought to share it with you in the off chance you might find yourself in the land of dragons one day.
Don’t forget - you can join me on zoom this Sunday at 8:30pm for a weekly ritual to radiate heart and practice listening to your inner wisdom. (It’s the same link every week.)
And if you you’d like a little more enchantment in your life, I’d recommend following Sharon Blackie.
“If we are enchanted, we are connected, because enchantment by my definition has nothing to do with fantasy, or escapism, or magical thinking: it is founded on a vivid sense of belongingness to a rich and many-layered world; a profound and whole-hearted participation in the adventure of life. Enchantment is intuitive, embraces wonder, and fully engages the creative imagination – but it is also deeply embodied, ecological, grounded in place.”
Sharon Blackie’s latest Substack - How myth and story can help us belong to our places
Before I stare, here’s a link to hands on THE BEST WELSH CAKES I’ve ever tasted (I tried the traditional ones - lightly toasted and slathered in salted butter). And yes, you can order them online!
Wild Swimming at Ffynone Falls
Follow a winding path in the ancient woodland of Ffynone Woods avenued with gnarled trunks carpeted in moss, and tufted tree ferns perched on reaching branches whose fronds wave at you as you amble by, and before long, you’ll reach an enchanted clearing which opens up into a clear body of water. Look across to the far side of the pool and you’ll see the fairy waterfall said to be a portal into Annwn (a parallel ‘Otherworld’) referred to in the ancient Welsh Mabinogion book.
For all fellow wild swimmers out there - I couldn’t resist a dip! And yes, it was toe numbingly freezing.
Carn Menyn - Goblins and Singing Stones
A scattered rocky outcrop on the Preseli moorlands whose large dolerite stones jut “out of the hilltop like fingers grasping toward the heavens.”
Carn Menyn’s claim to fame is that it supplied the bluestones that form the inner ring of Stonehenge - whether transported through glacial movement, human agency or something more mysterious is still a topic much debated.
Carn Menyn is accessible today thanks to the brave stand of local inhabitants at the end of the 1940s who fought against the moorland becoming a permanent military training area.
“We nurture souls in these areas” Rev R. Parri Roberts
There is an old tale of Goblins living in the Preseli hills who spend their days mining the mystical singing bluestones of Carn Menyn which are said to whisper melodies of the mountains. And in more modern news, the singing bluestones have featured on a record for the first time.
The Fair-folk of Pentre Ifan
Pentre Ifan is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic dolmen in Wales and is made from the same Pembrokeshire bluestones that went into the making of Stonehenge.
Considered a mystical and spiritual place by many, the folk tale below comes from a Welshwoman who has lived within sight of the hill all her life.
Spirits and fairies exist all round us, invisible. Fairies have no solid bodily substance. Their forms are of matter like ghostly bodies, and on this account they cannot be caught. In the twilight they are often seen, and on moonlight nights in summer. Only certain people can see fairies, and such people hold communication with them and have dealings with them, but it is difficult to get them to talk about fairies. My mother used to tell about seeing the “fair-folk” dancing in the fields near Cardigan; and other people have seen them round the cromlech up there on the hill (the Pentre Evan Cromlech).
The Witch's Cauldron
According to local legend, this collapsed sea cave which drops down into a natural rock bowl (looking very much like a cauldron) was a sea-witch's lair who would consume anyone who ventured in alone.
Although not accessible on foot (except for an aerial view on the cliff top, it is accessible by sea kayak and apparently is a frequented seal cove at pupping season.
For some reason I didn’t take a photo … I must have been too enthralled with the cauldron! Here’s a link to a pic instead.
Starling Murmurations
Murmurations are magical in their own right - I love them. The viewing platform at Minwear Woods over Slebeck reeds is a great place to spot them. We were a little late in the season to see them roosting on the reeds, but we did see some in the distance over the crest of the hill. The view was quite beautiful enough - even without the starlings.
That’s all for now, until next week when I’ll be sharing a really rather large new adventure.
Don’t forget to join me on zoom this Sunday at 8:30pm for our weekly Heart Lock In
Much love and adventure,
Camille
Sources:
https://pembrokeshire.online/2022/04/ffynone-falls-gateway-to-another-world/
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2012/jul/10/top-10-wildlife-pembrokeshire-wales-pictures