You have to know something of Llanwrtyd’s past to appreciate its present. A century or so ago, those angular, substantial gabled Victorian terraces and villas that fill the streets played a very different role. They served as boarding houses for the hordes of visitors who travelled to this secluded spot by train and charabanc from the teeming communities of the South Wales valleys on their annual escape from the coalmines and ironworks.

 

Llanwrtyd was, in those days, a busy inland resort where you’d not just ‘take the waters’ but enjoy the innocent pleasures of ball games in the park, croquet and bowls. A busy entertainment programme included pony and trap rides into the wild hinterland where drovers once herded livestock across the Cambrian Mountains, concerts and eisteddfodau, traditional ‘make your own fun’ gatherings of song and poetry.

 

All change

How things have changed. Llanwrtyd still looks, more or less, like it did in its spa heyday, the uniformity of its florid, fanciful architecture the result of it being built all in one go for a singular purpose (just like its big brother, über-Victorian Llandrindod Wells).

 

But nowadays Llanwrtyd has a nicely laid-back aura, despite reinventing itself as a place where you can get stuck into a bizarre range of green events and activities, including bog-snorkelling (not to be recommended for the faint-hearted, squeamish or short of breath), world-championship stone skimming, a man versus horse marathon and chariot racing. For those with more conventional tastes, ever-inventive Llanwrtyd also hosts walking, mountain biking and real ale festivals.

 

Centre point

Although a small town there’s plenty of interest here. The main square is dominated by a striking sculpture of a red kite, a testament to the iconic bird of prey that has survived threat of extinction and re-established itself throughout Mid Wales.

 

Opposite is the Neuadd Arms, a time-honoured hostelry that continues to serve the local community and its visitors well (real ale fans will be pleased to know that it has its own microbrewery). The days of the hardy – and no doubt travel-weary – drovers who made the tough journey across the Abergwesyn Pass from Tregaron to Llanwrtyd are recognised in the name of the Drovers’ Rest Riverside Restaurant and Tea Rooms, across the road from the Neuadd Arms. Another popular refreshment halt is Caffi Sosban, also in the main square.

 

Close by is Llanwrtyd and District Heritage and Arts Centre, located in a renovated chapel. Displays, interactive maps and recordings from residents reveal the history of the town and its surroundings, while today’s creative endeavours are showcased in exhibits by local artists and craftspeople.

 

Hidden depths

To pay homage to Llanwrtyd’s past as a thriving spa town head in a westerly direction from the town square along Dolecoed Road for about a quarter of a mile and pick up the riverside path in parkland beside the babbling Irfon, a river that has its source in the empty ‘green desert’ of Abergwesyn.

 

You’ll soon come to a collection of houses. Hiding away beside one you’ll find the original spa, where a local vicar Theophilus Evans discovered a spring bubbling to the surface in 1732. Restored yet somewhat forlorn and forgotten, it’s an evocative spot, haunted by ghosts of summer spa days past, and infused with an overpowering smell of sulphur from the mosaic-adorned well.

 

If you want to arrive in town in a way that mirrors those spa-seekers of old, hop on a train. Llanwrtyd is on the Swansea to Shrewsbury Heart of Wales line, one of the most scenic rail rides in Britain. Settle into Llanwrtyd’s slow rhythm (bog-snorkelling excepted) and – like many who have discovered the town and settled here in recent years – you may well not want to leave.