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Love Is in the Air
After a vegetarian lunch in the on-site cafe, I
drive on to the Dyfi Osprey Project, located
along the road from Machynlleth to
Aberystwyth on the coast. The project has
become a hive of romantic drama in recent
years, with one of just three breeding pairs of
ospreys in Wales making their home in the Dyfi
Valley. Ospreys became extinct in the U.K. in
1916, but returned to Mid Wales in 2008. Two
baby ospreys hatched here in 2011; the first
to do so in this valley in more than 400 years.
Watching the action relayed from high-
definition nest cameras, I learn that the leading
man in this blockbuster action movie is Monty, who now spends his
winters in West Africa, but returns each spring to his Mid Wales
home. After this surprisingly interesting visit, I just may follow the
annual avian drama of mating, hatching, and fledging a little more
closely. (Local media and the BBC cover the ongoing story, and the
Dyfi Osprey Project offers live streaming on its website.)
Market Town
I spend a day strolling leisurely around Mach
(as it’s affectionately referred to) to check out
the interesting boutiques and independent gal-
leries. The small yet bustling market town acts
as a hub for the community of artists, writers,
and thinkers grown up around Glyndwr’s story.
In fact, it was to a cottage just outside of
Machynlleth where legendary rock band Led
Zeppelin retreated in 1970 and wrote their
influential album
Led Zeppelin III
.
I stop for lunch in Siop Alys, a former tem-
perance cafe converted into a funky vintage
shop and tearoom. Afterward, I browse the
temporary exhibition at the nearby Museum of Modern Art (MOMA
Wales), housed in the historic neoclassical Tabernacle, a former
Methodist chapel. The museum displays rotating exhibitions from the
permanent collection of predominantly modern Welsh works.
That evening I enjoy a pint of local real ale at the cozy Wynnstay
Arms pub, followed by a huge, tasty dinner at Number Twenty One,
John Morrison/Alamy; Andrew Fox/Alamy; The Photolibrary Wales/Alamy
Works by local
and international
artists decorate
the shore along
the Lake Vyrnwy
Sculpture Trail.
Visit a Victorian spa town.
In
its heyday, Llandrindod Wells
drew visitors with the purported
healing qualities of its springs, who would
“take the waters” in pump rooms. Admire
the town’s ornate architecture and visit
Rock Park, home to the historic pump
rooms and outdoor bowling greens.
Sift through bookstores
galore.
The market town of
Hay-on-Wye (shown at right) is
known as the largest secondhand
bookselling center in the world. Explore
its numerous bookstores (there are
almost 40), visit the nearby ruins of
Llanthony Priory, and sample sheep’s-
milk ice cream at Shepherds.
London
Cardiff
Wales
Edinburgh
England
Scotland
Hereford
Shrewsbury
England
Wales
Machynlleth
Llanbrynmair
Welshpool
Knighton
Glyndwr’s Way
Cardiff
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Known as the ancient capital of Wales, the historic market town of
Machynlleth has developed a modern-day reputation as a bohemian haven.