Llanwrtyd Wells Welcome You To
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SPMK.com - Our New Sponsors for World Bog Snorkelling Championship - CONGRATULATIONS!!



NEW EVENT -Half Marathon - 21st October 2006 - It will be the Ron Skilton Memorial Half Marathon (in memory of a treasured member of our Green Events team who sadly passed away in December from Motor Neurone Disease).
Entry Fee; £8.00 - further details to follow - there will be a new page dedicated to this event as soon as possible.

Information about our Man Versus Horse Race Information about our World Bog Snorkelling Championship Last years results (2003) for the Bog Snorkelling Championships Information about out World Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling Championship General Booking Form General Booking Rules Man V Horse Booking Form Man V Horse Rules Mountain Bike Booking Form Special Extracts From Our New Green Events Brochure To obtain a brochure please send an email to webmaster@celt.ruralwales.org Walking and Cycling Routes WALKING:- Four Days Walks  Drovers Walks  Lord Crawshaw   New Year Walk In    Real Ale Ramble Morris In The Forrest Food Festival

For Green Events in South Devon www.green-events.co.uk

The History of Llanwrtyd Wells

Llanwrtyd Wells grew from a tiny hamlet which was called Pont-rhyd-y-Fferau, translated as Bridge Over The Ankle Deep Ford. The hamlet was centred on the bridge which spanned the River Irfon.

Fame came to Llanwrtyd Wells in an unusual way with the discovery of the mineral waters in 1732. The then Vicar of St. David' church discovered the Wells at the Dol-Y-Coed Park, and seeing that a frog was alive and seemingly no worse for wear in the smelly waters, he decided to try the waters himself with the view of them helping his' scurvy'. His condition improved so dramatically that he wrote an article on the healing properties of the Wells. Thus the popularity of the Wells grew, together with the development of the town where buildings and recreational facilities were built to cater for the increasing numbers of visitors to the Wells. It was at this time also that Pont-rhyd-y-Fferau changed its name to Llanwrtyd Wells.

There are many buildings which have historical interest within the town. The Station was built c1868 when the trains began to run through Llanwrtyd Wells. Before this the method of travel was a stage-coach route using the now A483. The houses that were built were in the main three or four storeys high proving that they were purpose built for the Spa visitors. One shop in particular has claims to fame - Britannia - as it was here that Sospan Fach', the very famous rugby song was jointly composed by two visitors to the town, namely, Talog Williams and the Rev. D.M. Davies.

Victoria Wells was opened to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. It was the centre of numerous cultural events that took place in a large wooden hall in the grounds, this was erected by Penry Lloyd and his generosity was awarded with a fine monument in his memory following his death in 1913.

The Abernant Lake Hotel was built on the grounds of a old farm. The name was derived from the Welsh words 'mouth of the stream'. The vast grounds include a lake which was created by damming of an ox-bow lake of the Irfon in 1903. The hotel was, and indeed still is self sufficient within their entertainment programme, and draws visitors from many parts of the globe.

Droving played an extremely important role in the people of Wales life from the 14th up to the 19th century. There was no direct route through Llanwrtyd Wells but many people were employed from the town and surrounding areas in the industry. The Drovers Walk is now one of the Green Events that take place each year in the Town.

The Town and surrounding area has had links with many famous names during its history. One such name was William Wiliams, who became Curate of Llanwrtyd and Abergwesyn under Theophilus Evans c1840. He became a convert to Methodism which brought some opposition and resulted in his expulsion from the church. He then followed a life of a travelling preacher and became one of the most famous hymn writer of his era, with his hymns still widely sung today. John Penry was another famous Welshman. He caused much outrage following his criticisms of the state of religion in Wales in this period and was eventually executed in 1593. His home became a pilgrimage after his death and numerous poems were written in his memory.

This is a brief summary of the history of Llanwrtyd Wells which lends itself to the 'Unique Green Events'that take place within the town and surrounding areas during the year. These events are now world famous and attract thousands of visitors during all four seasons. We welcome you to our web site which illustrate each of the unusual and organised fun events and we invite you all to visit out town to sample them yourselves at your leisure.

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Copyright 2003, © Created January 2003

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