Should you be travelling along the B45199 from Brecon to Garth, as you leave the MOD Ranges you reach the escarpment of the Eppynt. Stop and look at the panoramic view; we may be biased but it is one of the most beautiful views in Wales.
About 400 million years ago, this view would have been of a sea stretching as far north as the island of Anglesey, eastwards a more shallow sea spreading to the Welsh Borders. This in geological terms is the oldest part of the county, with rocks laid down in the Ordovician and Silurian times.
Today, it is a patchwork of fields and hedges, with the distant Cambrian hills as a border to it. Nestling some 300m below is the village of Llangammarch Wells and to the South-West, Llanwrtyd Wells can be seen. Meandering gently out of the hills near Llanwrtyd and through Llangammarch and on to Builth Wells is the River Irfon. The gentle Irfon can be a misnomer at times as, due to the relatively high rainfall, at certain times of the year the river is a torrent, a real contest for any experienced canoeist.
Llangammarch Wells
In its heyday during the late 19th C and early 20th C, the village had an unique feature in the only drinkable Barium spring in Britain. The water was reputedly beneficial for sufferers of heart disease, gout and rheumatism. Given the rural location of the village and the beautiful surrounding countryside, this added to the benefits of the water.
The Pump room was directly above the spring in the grounds of the Lake Hotel, where the ruins can still be seen today. The Lake Hotel today is a world renowned first class hotel. The village also boasted a golf course and a Links Hotel, sadly they both have now disappeared.
A highlight in the year of the village was the annual Horse Fair when hundreds of mountain ponies were brought down from the Eppynt. The village would resound to the neighing of ponies and the clip-clop of their hooves on the metalled road, and mixed with this would be the many different accents of the buyers and dealers. The bars of the various Hotels would do a roaring trade during the sale.
Today, it is a close knit community supporting a Post Office, grocery shop, a second-hand Bookshop, the local Inn, The Aberceiros, and a well situated Caravan and camping site.
Llanwrtyd Wells
Llanwrtyd's fame came from the discovery of another type of spring mineral water. This time it was a chalybeate spring . It was discovered by Theophilus Evans around 1732 within the grounds of the Dolecoed Park. Being a sufferer of scurvy, when he saw water springing from a well, he decided to try some despite its smell, as he saw a frog in the water and considered that if a frog thrived in it, then at least no harm would come to him.
Finding that his scurvy improved dramatically, he wrote to a colleague in Oxford and had an article published in the St.James Chronicle on the healing properties of the water. From then on the popularity of Llanwrtyd developed and became popular with the miners and tin-workers of South Wales. Upwards of 2000 people stayed in the town and Bowling, Croquet and Tennis courts were built to cater for them, many literary functions were also held in the town during that time.
The Romans left their mark on the area, with remains of the road running from Maridunum (Carmarthen) to Castell Collen (near Llandrindod Wells). Along this route are the remains of two forts. The earthworks near Tirabad lies near to the road, but has never been substantiated as a Fort, whilst the Caerau Fort has been excavated and timber buildings of the Flavian period have been found. These fortlets were mainly used as rest stops for the troops.
Droving played an important role in the life of the people of Wales from the 14 -19th C and although the routes did not pass through Llanwrtyd or Llangammarch Wells many of its inhabitants would have been employed in the industry. There are many old Inns to be found in the area, although some are private dwellings and others are in ruins. On Abergwesyn Square stands the Grouse Inn, now private, this square was the junction of routes from various parts of Cardiganshire. In the Tirabad area stood the Spite Inn and the Cross Inn on the routes from Carmarthenshire. The best preserved Inn is on the Garth to Upper Chapel road, The Drovers. This has been renovated by the MOD and not only commemorates the Droving Days but the community of farm people who lived and worked on the Eppynt prior to it being taken over by the MOD.
In 1940 the War Office requisitioned the whole of the Eppynt, some 32,000 acres , so that the Army could have an Artillery range for training purposes. Around 220 men, women and children were made to leave 54 farms, a whole community lost in one fell swoop.A day out on the Heart of Wales is well worth considering, and for those staying at Caban Cwmffynnon, the station is nearby. Dinefwr Treks uses the train on many occasions to reach the start of one of their walks.
Today, it is still MOD property, with fairly intensive training carried on the ranges. Despite that, it is a haven for wildlife, with a large concentration of upland birds breeding there, from curlews to skylark.
Heart of Wales Railway Line
Considered to be one of the most picturesque lines in Britain, the line runs from Swansea to Shrewsbury some 116 miles long. The line started life with several small companies building different sections during the 19th.C. Prior to this a stage-coach ran from Swansea to Llandrindod Wells using what is now the A483. The line had reached Llandovery from Swansea by 1858, and had reached Llandrindod Wells from Shrewsbury by 1865. Due to the geography of the land, a huge problem confronted the builders at Cynghordy where a viaduct had to be built.
Eventually, on June 8th 1868 the line was fully open, and children at the local schools were given the day off to watch the train pass through Llangammarch and Llanwrtyd bedecked in flags.
On many occasions there has been a threat of closure hanging over the line, but it has managed to survive, not least because the line runs through many marginal electoral constituencies.
It will be interesting to see now that the Welsh Assembly is up and running what will be its future.
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