Beyond the well-known beauty spots of south Wales are many hidden, quirkier places. Mab Jones – Cardiff-based poet and writer, and Buzz’s resident poetry columnist – details some of those that inspire work including her newest title, Bog Witch.
Wetlands
Alongside its mountains, rivers, and beaches, wetlands are a wonder that Wales possesses in plentiful supply. Many of these nebulous, not-quite-land not-quite-water terrains are astonishingly rich in plant, bird and insect life, possessing a biodiversity that’s breathtaking in the warm months whilst offering up soupy atmos and poetic soul food in autumn and winter. Beauty, life and the changing of the seasons are writers’ perfect penspiration; for non-writers, there’s loveliness or, in the greyer months, an unusual environment that’s often less crowded and wilder than other places.
Some of my favourite wetlands are more off the beaten track. Magor Marsh, along the Gwent Levels, is one of these; Cardiff Wetlands, located in the Bay near science centre Techniquest (where I am Resident Writer!), is another. Although Newport and Llanelli offer more managed wetland experiences, with visitor centres etc., those places that are less managed are more exciting, to me. My new book, {Bog Witch}, explores facts and folklore around these misunderstood places, and aims to transmute our view of their mud and murk into appreciation. Often dubbed “the kidneys of the earth”, they’re pretty terrific all round, so get your wellies on, grab your flask and binoculars, and go take a stroll.
Wastelands
What buildings and ruins remain from our country’s immediate, often industrial, past leaves us with a source of surprise and strangeness now, providing insight into the lives of our recent ancestors. Poets who write about place will be fascinated but – again – anyone who enjoys history, learning about locality or simply knowing more about people will benefit from exploring not just the castles and chapels but these less majestic, even unsightly spots, which offer up their own quirky appeal.
I particularly love abandoned buildings. St Athan Boys’ Village was once a holiday camp for boys, but now the whole village is full of ghosts, echoes, and graffiti. Along the Vale Of Glamorgan coast are many remnants from the Second World War: at Lavernock Point near Penarth, for example, you can find myriad bunkers remaining from this time. Brutalist and bulletproof, they’re a testament to a very different era that has made its mark on our local landscape – and are ripe for writing about as a result!
Wonders
There are so many amazing things in the landscape of south Wales: some that appeal to me are old, even ancient, and often manmade. My partner is a member of Stone Club, and often goes cycling to or searching after various barrows, circles, wells or tombs; I love looking for these too. As well as St Lytham and Tinkinswood, Maen Llia is an impressive standing stone in the Brecon Beacons, and yet another marvel I don’t think we make much of. It stands in the shadow of a mountain, next to a Roman road and not far from a circular henge that feels, to me, like a site of worship.
Although follies, like Paxton’s Tower at the National Botanic Gardens Of Wales, are playful, I prefer places that were in-use. East Orchard Castle near Aberthaw is a ruin with a history of knights and lords that’s long forgotten. Its dovecote is one of the largest and most spectacularly intact I’ve ever seen; it speaks strongly of the lives that were there, as well as the interdependence between man and animal. It’s so stunning, yet no-one was around when I went, and it was so quiet you could almost hear the spirit-wings of the doves that once flew there. Or maybe that’s just my poet’s imagination; why not visit yourself, and find out?
Mab Jones’ Bog Witch is published via Collective Ink Books.
Price: £8.99/£3.99 Ebook. Info: here
words MAB JONES
