And did those feet, in ancient times .....

Sensory garden at Plas Tan y Bwlch

... walk upon Snowdonia’s magnificent landscapes. Modern transport tends to whisk you along too fast to appreciate your surroundings and most of the roads are low down. By contrast the ancient trackways of Snowdonia (Eryri) rise up from the valleys and coast to traverse the high ground, through rocky or boggy terrain unsuitable for farm ‘improvement’. Apart from the occasional reservoir or conifer plantation these old routes are untouched and travelling here is like walking through a living museum rich in reminders of the way we lived.

Hic iacit Cantiorix!

You can walk past the standing stones of bronze age ancestors, along 'roads' where Roman legionnaires marched or bone-shaking coaches carried passengers to and from ships to Ireland. Journeying where drovers ushered their livestock hundreds of miles to market or where smugglers evaded taxes on salt or brandy, following in the footsteps of pilgrims, miners and shepherds. Up here our past is highly visible and preserved. 

But where to start? How about the Plas Tan y Bwlch Ancient Trackways of Snowdonia course? Four days of guided walking complete with five nights of accommodation at a stately mansion in the Vale of Ffestiniog, with breakfast, packed lunch, evening meal and after dinner talk included. All this for less than £425.  

Course starts 20^th May 2012. If you fancy it, get in touch with the organisers at Plas Tan y Bwlch. I did it a couple of years ago and loved it. Here are some of my memories: