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Scroll down to see what's included in this exciting Jan-Feb 2010 issue

Welsh Country is the pan Wales magazine that is essential reading for those that are passionate about the countryside of Wales, Welsh Food, Welsh Property, the history of Wales and its people.

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Here's a bit of a teaser for what's in the current issue. Welsh Country magazine is available to purchase at hundreds of outlets across Wales or you can subscribe here. If you are incurring problems finding a copy please contact us to locate your nearest stockist!

STORIES IN STONE - Llanfihangel Abercowyn

stories-in-stone It is a modern road that leads us from Carmarthen to St. Clears, in south-west Wales. Fast and efficient it takes us quickly to the west towards St. David's at the very edge of Wales, but the A40 is also a road that takes us deep into the past.............
This is truly a forgotten and mysterious place. Full of questions to which we will never know the answers. There can be no doubt that this is a beautiful place. Untouched. You look out to the green hills and wonder how much has changed since those beneath the old stones, themselves looked across the river. Very little because, as you look out across the river you can see nothing of today.
Geoff Brookes finds six mysterious medieval graves on pages 21-24.

PICTORIAL WALES – Porthgain

pictorial-wales Although the Welsh countryside was aurally immortalised by the poet Dylan Thomas, Celtic artist Michael Boyd is now modestly attempting another transformation, this time visually with a series of iconic images. Michael works exclusively digitally - his images are a work in progress. Working practically on his own, but collaborating on ideas with a number of artists and designers on the West Coast of the US, Michael is learning to transfer and modify many of his painting skills into creating a new breed of digital images. Although beginning life as photographs, they are then transformed by a variety of software into ‘composites' using complex techniques of layering, blending and opacity to achieve the final effect.
Michael's dramatic pictures are on pages 41-45.

WALKING WALES - Laugharne and the Taf Estuary

walking-wales As Stratford-upon-Avon is to Shakespeare, so the colourful Carmarthenshire town of Laugharne is to Wales's own literary icon, Dylan Thomas. And a visit to the enigmatic poet's home and study, on the shores of the picturesque Taf Estuary, should be on every walker's hit list - not just for the fascinating cultural relevance, but also for the excellent walking that the area around the small town offers.

This walk links the wonderful Carmarthen Bay Coastal Path, to the north and south of the town, with some wonderfully scenic walking in the hills above it, to make a great outing that can easily be linked in with lunch, in one of the town's many tea shops, restaurants or pubs, as well as the essential visit to the Boathouse and the even more spectacularly positioned Writing Shed. Could there be a better place to gaze out over the ‘mussel pooled and the heron priested shore'.

Follow in Tom Hutton's footsteps on page 18.

GRUMPY OLD GEEZER - Rants about why our Welsh hills are not alive with broadband…….

Not dwelling in the Welsh hills, I hate to admit that I wasn't aware of broadband as being a problem, but after talking at a local market to Rhodri a farmer friend, he certainly made me aware of it, in no uncertain terms!
Wales is blessed with beautiful countryside, which of course includes hills, how could it not? Life as a hill farmer has always been tough, with many of them living in outlying areas and some only receiving electricity and telephone lines in recent years. A fact that's difficult for us ‘softies' to comprehend.

Wales has a hugely diverse array of rural businesses, struggling to survive, let alone grow, but do they really need the added burden of not having proper access to communication? Rhodri lives in Builth Wells, Powys and he cannot get broadband, but his son, who lives only 300 yards away, has perfect reception - why?
Read the entire 'rant' on page 53................

GARDENING - Eye-catching Iris

gardening Iris have been recorded by civilisations for thousands of years - the ancient Greeks used to place them on their wives' graves as a symbol of eternal love and the Greek goddess Iris, from whom the name comes, led the souls of dead women to the Elysian Fields. Iris as a messenger of the gods was goddess of the rainbow and travelled the rainbow's arc carrying messages and commands from the gods to humans. This connection with the rainbow also signifies the range of colours that irises carry. They also appear carved in hieroglyphics on the walls of the temples at Karnak in Egypt and were the inspiration for the French ‘Fleur de Lys'. Our own native iris has the common name ‘Segg', an aged term derived from the Saxon word for sword, as the iris leaves resembled the sword's broad, flat blade.
The Iris bloom is the emblem of Florence and in nineteenth century Italy the production of dried iris rhizomes was a major industry......
Richard Cain advises us on these wonderful plants on pages 46, 47 and 48.

WILDLIFE - Dung beetles

African-dung-beetle-rolling How much dung would you expect one average-sized cow to produce in a year? Not sure? Well, one cow will produce at least 9 tonnes of dung per year. With over 10 million cattle in the UK, that's over 90 million tonnes of dung produced yearly.... and it's not only cattle that produce dung! It has been calculated that one dung pat will cover 0.8m2, so add all this dung together and cow dung would cover an area of 292,000 hectares. We can put this into perspective when we realise that London covers only 159,000 hectares. So where is it all? Why are we not neck deep in the stuff?
It is because there is a whole hoard of organisms that call a dung pat home. Many people are under the impression that dung beetles are only found in Africa. However, we have over 100 different species of beetle that inhabit British dung.
Sarah Beynon explains that 'home is where the dung is' on pages 10-12

WELSH VILLAGES - Hawarden’s Lasting Legacy

Gladstone-monument Karen Foy travels further along the north Wales
coast to the village of Hawarden and gives us a glimpse into the events, which shaped its fascinating past. Ancient Origins... Despite the hub of the community centering around one main street, Hawarden has a lot to offer a visitor to the Flintshire area of Wales. Pronounced ‘Harden', this ancient parish was once called Pen-y-Llwch meaning ‘head of the lake or swamp' and is thought to refer to the fact that originally, this land was partially under water.
Today, evidence of this can still be found in the name of the adjacent lowland known as ‘Sealand' which was formed by the gradual silting up of the river Dee estuary close by. This reclamation of marshland allowed the population to grow with settlers finding work in the collieries, ironworks and brickworks which began to prosper in the surrounding areas.
Pages 6-9

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT- Opera singer Shân Cothi

under-the-spotlight Shân Cothi was born in Ffarmers, Llanwrda, west Wales and is a fluent Welsh speaker. She graduated from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and in 1995, Shân won the Blue Riband at the National Eisteddfod and then decided to take a huge leap of faith to work as a professional soloist. A versatile performer, Shân is as contented working in the theatre, as she is performing in an opera or singing contemporary music.
‘Amser Justin Time' is the charity Shân set up after her husband Justin Smith died from Pancreatic cancer, age 42. On pages 49-52 you can read the interview and find out more about 'Amser Justin Time'. If you would like to support the charity you can send a cheque to ‘Amser Justin Time' c/o Harlequin Agency Ltd, 203 Fidlas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5NA Tel +44 (0)79 6670 4548 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit the website: www.amserjustintime.org

GETTING TO KNOW - Llantrisant

As you approach Llantrisant from the south, the eye is immediately drawn to the Norman church on the top of the hill. This ancient church that gives the town its name, is dedicated to the three saints, Illtyd, Gwynno and Dyfodwg. Llantrisant is steeped in history and remains popular today with visitors and locals alike.
Little remains of the Norman castle that once held a commanding position, second in importance only to Cardiff castle in south Wales. It defended a route that led to the uplands of Glamorgan and was fortified around 1250 by Earl Richard de Clare. Welsh attacks severely damaged this fighting castle on four occasions, between 1259 and 1316. King Edward II is thought to have been imprisoned here as he battled to curb the influence of the rebellious English aristocracy. He later abdicated in 1327 and was executed in Berkeley Castle.
Andrew Seabourne Evans explores Llantrisant on page 17.

FISHING - Juveniles

fishing Anglers in Wales are now looking forward with eager anticipation to the forthcoming fishing season. Many - especially those who fish for sewin and salmon - were gravely disappointed with the 2009 season, as the weather proved so unpredictable during the peak fishing months.
Let's hope the 'Weather Clerk' will be kinder in 2010!
However most anglers are born optimists and there are many aspects within the Welsh fishing scene that have been greatly enhanced of late, thus justifying their optimism.
One encouraging feature is the dramatic increase in rod licence sales and as rod licence money goes directly to the Environmental Agency and spent on improving fishing facilities in Wales, things are looking up..........
With the new season approaching it is good to know that money has also been spent on enhancing the habitat for the fish, as well as improving the facilities for them to swim upriver unhindered.
Read what else Moc Morgan has to say on page 15.