2017 is Wales’s ‘Year of Legends’. It’s going to involve more than myths, magic, bards and fire-breathing beasts, says Roger Thomas


LEGENDARY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE


It’s no secret that Wales is a land of castles, sheep and the green, green grass on which they feed. The country’s outdoor activities are world-class (The Lonely Planet guide recently declared North Wales one of the world’s top destinations on the strength of them). And any self-respecting guide to Wales is stuffed full of legends Arthurian and otherwise.


So is it going to be all about dragons and damsels, myths and magicians? Well, not quite. ‘Legends’ as interpreted in 2017 will embrace the past but also look at the present and take a peek into the future. So there will be celebrations based on the Mabinogion, tales of romance and drama that represent the first written records of ancient folk tales. But the Year of Legends will also reference Doctor Who, famously reinvented in Wales, and the great Gareth Bale, a living legend and hero of the 2016 European Championships.


Legendary landscapes


Wales has plenty of these, from the misty heights of Cader Idris to Cantre’r Gwaelod, the land lost beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay. Spend the night on Cader, the brooding peak that looms over Dolgellau, and you’ll awake a poet or madman – or not at all. Far better, we think, to curl up in a comfy bed at Coes Faen Spa Lodge where the mountain tumbles down to the sea.


King Arthur must have been a well-travelled man. He crops up everywhere. Arthur’s Stone on the Gower Peninsula was, according to legend, thrown here by the king. Well, maybe … it’s certainly just a stone’s throw from Blas Gw


ˆ yr, the luxury Grade II listed boutique property in Llangennith.


Lots of things in Wales can be defined as legendary. Here are just some of them...


72 The Great Little Places Guide 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84