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The Drovers' Roads of Wales

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By Fay Godwin and Shirley Toulson

Published by Wildwood House, London, 1977

This listing of Contents, Photographs & Maps compiled by Gareth Hicks, Feb 2002

**My copy of this book was deposited with Glamorgan FHS in April 2022

The book has its own index of places and people mentioned in it

Introduction        Contents       Photographs     Maps

Introduction

Copied from the book's rear cover.

"Through the heart of Wales run innumerable centuries-old tracks --- many still traceable and open. They are the Drovers' Roads. For hundreds of years --- from the Middle Ages to the victory of the railways around 1900 --- they were trodden by tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and even geese being driven --- at an average of 2 mph --- to the markets of London. The drovers --- many of them now Welsh folk legends --- avoiding the main roads, walked their flocks through villages, lively market towns, sometimes following Roman and even earlier highways, passing ancient sites and megaliths and through some of the most dramatic landscapes of Wales.

This is a guide book through space and time. It will help the reader find, follow and appreciate some of the best of these old highways. Shirley Toulson re-creates the world of the drovers, its farms, its markets, its inns, its dangers, its economics. Fay Godwin follows her well-known photographs of the Ridgeway with an equally arresting vision of the Welsh landscape through the seasons, and in many moods..................."

Contents

  • Prologue
  • The Drovers
  • Tracing the Drove Routes; the Welsh countryside
  • The Drove Routes
  • The Way to Wrexham and Shrewsbury
  • The Way to Birmingham
  • The Way to Hereford
  • Epilogue
  • The Drovers in England
  • Preparation for walking
  • Welsh Words
  • Bibliography

Photographs

  • Not every word of  supporting text has been copied out, some additional text added  [in brackets] to further identify places. Also see Map section
  • Photographs listed in the exact order they appear in the book
  • Pont Scethin on the old London to Harlech coach road [front cover]
  • Drinking fountain at Golden Grove near Llandeilo
  • Pont-Scethin [as above]
  • Rhydspence Inn [Herefordshire border]
  • Derelict farm near Trawsfynydd
  • Roman fort near Trawsfynydd
  • Old forge at Pumpsaint
  • Drove road near Painscastle
  • Hedge laying
  • Stone walling
  • Mr Williams's farm at Pen-twyn
  • Disused quarry
  • Roman road at Ceriog [Berwyn ]
  • Mawddach estuary and Porthmadog
  • Llyn Du and standing stones on the Prenteg road
  • Paved road, Croesor
  • Old Croesor road
  • Slate wall, Croesor
  • Croesor area
  • Slate quarry above Croesor
  • Disused slate quarries at Tanygrisiau
  • Llyn Cwmorthin and Tanygrisiau
  • Quarry above Croesor
  • Castle ruin, Dolwyddelan
  • Between Penmachno and Ysbyty Ifan
  • Ysbyty Ifan road
  • Near Trawsfynydd
  • Roman fort near Trawsfynydd
  • Near Cerrigydrudion
  • Offa's Dyke
  • Lime Kiln
  • Llandanwg church
  • Burial chamber at Dyffryn
  • Emergency shoeing station & cottage at Llety Loegr [last overnight shelter before going over hills to Bontddu]
  • Janet Haigh's stone [nr Pont-Scethin]
  • Pont-Scethin
  • Llyn Irddyn [nr Pont-Scethin]
  • Arthur's Quoit [nr Llety Loegr]
  • Marker stone, London to Harlech road
  • Above Pont-Fadog
  • Pont-Fadog/Pont Scethin
  • The pass, Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
  • Tal-y-bont to Bontddu path, nr Pont-Fadog
  • Scots pines above Pont-Fadog
  • Tal-y-bont to Bontddu path, nr Bontddu
  • View back from Bwlch y Rhiwgyr towards Pont-Fadog
  • Looking towards Cader Idris
  • Ruins of Golodd
  • Llyn Cwm Bychan [nr Llanbedr] [ #2]
  • Llanfachreth [nr Dolgellau]
  • Above Llanfachreth
  • Owen Glendower's Tump
  • Waterfall on Ceiriog Ddu stream
  • Remains of old fence on Ceiriog Ddu stream
  • On road between Llandrillo and Dyffryn Ceiriog
  • Llanidloes Market Hall
  • On the Kerry Ridgeway
  • Disused quarry nr Bodtalog
  • Ruins of old Claerwen Farm [nr Claerwen Reservoir]
  • Pen-y-garreg Reservoir
  • Dam at Pen-y-garreg reservoir
  • Standing stone, Maen-serth above Rhayader [ # 2]
  • Strata Florida Abbey
  • Standing stones near Cwmyrychen Farm
  • Abbeycwmhir
  • Disserth church
  • Porch carving, Disserth church
  • Builth Wells Market [sheep]
  • Builth Wells Old Market [building]
  • Aberedw Hill
  • Flooded grass
  • Church door, Rhulen
  • Toll House, Pumpsaint
  • Five Saints stone, Pumpsaint
  • Dolaucothi gold mine
  • Twm Sion Catti's cave
  • Beehive cairn [nr Cellan]
  • Crug Siarls [nr Farmers]
  • Pig grazing grounds at Garthynty
  • Split megalith south of Cwrt-y-Cadno
  • On road from Tregaron to Abergwesyn
  • Hollow way, nr Caeo
  • Near Cilycwm
  • Cilycwm
  • King's Head Inn [Llandovery]
  • Prospect House [Llandovery]
  • The Drovers' Arms, Eppynt Heights
  • Cwm Owen Inn
  • Church porch, Crickadarn
  • Wye ford at Erwood
  • Lake Pwll-du
  • Painscastle ramparts
  • Cider press at Rhydspence Inn
  • Builth Wells Market [sheep]

Maps

Names of some places shown on the maps/diagrams are included in the descriptions, there are many others on the maps

  • Main diagram/map of drove route areas covered in the book
  • Map A; Pentrefelin/Penmorfa/Prenteg/Aberglaslyn/Tan-y-bwlch/Croesor/Tanygrisiau [near Blaenau Ffestiniog]
  • Map B; Maentwrog/Llandecwyn/ Pont Islyn/Ffestiniog
  • Map C; Cerrigydrudion/Bettws Gwerfil Goch/Gwyddelwern/Llanelidan
  • Map D; Ruthin/Llanarmon-yn-lal/Llandegla/Graianrhyd
  • Map E; Llandanwg/Dyffryn Ardudwy/Bron-y-foel/Llanbedr/Cwm Nantcol/Pont-Scethin/Bontddu/Pont-Fadog/Dolgellau
  • Map F; Llanbedr/Cwm Bychan/Adwy-deg Farm/Cwm Nantcol
  • Map G; Llanfachreth/Pont Aber Geirw/Bala road
  • Map H; Llandrillo/Cynwyd/Corwen/Llidiart/Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog/Pandy
  • Map I; Machynlleth/Aberhosen/Nant y Fyda/Dylife/Staylittle
  • Map J; Staylittle/Llanidloes/Llangurig
  • Map K; Llandinam/ Little London/Mochdre/Giant's Grave/Dolfor/Kerry Pole
  • Map L; Rhayader/Dolhelfa/Pant y dwr/Bwlch-y-sarnau/Abbeycwmhir
  • Map M; Llanwrtyd-Wells/Abergwesyn/Beulah
  • Map N; Builth Road/Aberedw Hill/Hungry Green/Gilfach/Painscastle
  • Map O; Rhulen/Newchurch/Gladestry/Kington
  • Map P; Cellan/Blaen-Cothi/Farmers/Cilycwm/Rhandirmwyn/Ty'n-y-cornel/Soar/Dolcoch
  • Map Q; Drovers' Arms/Erwood/Cwm Owen