Have you walked to Bedd Taliesin? That’s what 22 energetic ramblers did on Saturday 15 January 2022 as Cered held the first in its ‘Ar Gered’ series of Welsh medium guided walks in the hills above Aberystwyth that are commonly known as Y Topie.
This was a five mile circular walk from Cletwr, Tre’r Ddôl and under the guidance of Steff Rees, Cered Team Leader the party enjoyed a tour full of excellent views of the coast and the mountains with Cader Idris, Y Tarrenau and the Dyfi estuary clear to see.
The walk also saw a number of tales and histories being shared such as the local hat-making industry and the tales of Bedd Taliesin and Ogof Morris. Ogof Morris is situated on the slopes of Foel Goch above Tre’r Ddôl and some are of the opinion that it is the hideout of Morris – the infamous local thief who was hanged in Cardigan.
The aim of ‘Ar Gered’ is to create a new social opportunity for the residents of northern Ceredigion and beyond to use their Cymraeg and to celebrate Y Topie which is an area that is so beautiful and so interesting for walkers yet is unfamiliar to many.
These walks welcome Welsh speakers of all levels from learners to fluent speakers and it was heartwarming to hear so many friendly and natural chats in Welsh happening simultaneously between experienced Welsh speakers and newer speakers of the language.
This is what Martin Davies from Tre Taliesin who one of the walkers had to say about the walk: “We have been exploring these paths for decades but this walk was a very fresh experience somehow – seeing what’s on the doorstep through the eyes of other people and being reminded again how lucky we are.”
Councillor Catherine Hughes, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Culture added: “Ar Gered is an exciting opportunity for people to get to know their local areas, speak Welsh and learn about little retreats in Ceredigion – a great way to get to learn more about an area, the language and meet new people.”
The next Ar Gered walk will take place on Saturday 19th February and will start in Glandyfi before taking some pretty little paths to learn more about Dyfi Furnace, have a taste of the beauty of Cwm Einion and see one of the finest views in the area from the top of Foel Fawr. For more information and to register for the walk please contact Steff on steffan.rees@ceredigion.gov.uk or 07580 536 518.
21/01/2022