Y Filltir Sgwâr: My Favourite Place – Fy Hoff Le

‘In a year long series Tom Maloney, from Abersychan, shows how you can love a place so well it becomes a part of you.’

‘Fy hoff le’, three lovely Welsh words that when translated into English mean ‘my favourite place’. Anyone studying the Sylfaen – Foundation Welsh language course will be familiar with ‘Fy hoff le’ as it is one of the twenty-eight subjects for the speaking test.

Of all the subjects on offer, this was the one that I liked the best when I studied the course and I always returned to the Lasgarn Woodland as the topic for my conversation without fail. There was nothing mechanical or perfunctory in this choice. The Lasgarn sprang into my mind immediately.

Joy

With this article being the fiftieth in this year long series, I hope you will indulge me just one more time as I share with you the wealth of joy that it brings to me in Winter.

What a week it has been again for the weather, but the highlight for me was most definitely Wednesday afternoon’s beautiful sunlight and wonderfully warm temperatures when I took all of the photographs for this article.

I was so warm that I even found myself taking off my hat and scarf!

Woodland Windows

One of the delights that I particularly look forward to are the opportunities that come at this time of the year to view distant landscapes through the bare trunks and their outstretched branches, that to me frame everything within their compass like woodland windows, especially at the edge of the tree line.

If you catch the weather in a good mood, January sunlight is the spark of gold that lights every colour. Pastel shades of complimentary blues and oranges abound just now and the textures are simply wonderful.

New Growth

I have to confess that my thinking used to be too constrained, even rigid, when it comes to the Seasons.

In previous years, I would have thought that you could only have found signs of new life in the Spring, but almost imperceptibly, there are little green shoots ‘springing up’ even now, in the first couple of weeks of the New Year.

I think possibly that the first shoots may even have broken through the surface of the soil in December of last year.

If you know and love a woodland space where Wild Garlic flourishes look for its beginnings in amongst the decaying leaves of last Autumn. If you get up close there may be the faintest hint of its distinctive aroma, but that is probably my imagination once again taking the lead.

The Past Revealed

The Lasgarn is many things and the history is absolutely fascinating. What is so hard to believe now is that the site has a deep connection with the Industrial Revolution with the quarrying of limestone for use by the local iron works.

In places this history is almost hidden, especially in the summer months when green vegetation and shadows obscure what can be seen.

Over the years I have been trying to build a photographic record of what remains, especially the path of the old horse drawn tramroad that winds its snakelike way through the heart of the woodland and which was once used to transport the limestone, but I have failed to get a clear picture of a raised embankment that was created to support the track bed in one location.

Wednesday’s afternoon light was just perfect to pick out the steep sided embankment with its foundation stones blanketed in green moss, piled methodically at an angle. In moments like this you feel connected with the past and with the people whose hands placed the stones so well. It has done its job brilliantly over such a long time. Its nooks and crannies probably play host to a good many woodland creatures as well.

For the most part though, there is an inch thick, cushioned carpet of copper brown beech and oak leaves that disguises any hint of an industrial past along this beautiful path.

I don’t very often meet many people at all on my walks at the Lasgarn, but on this day I encountered a runner who told me that he had lived in the area for five years and he had only just discovered the path.

It made me smile, because I thought how much quicker that he had been than myself in getting to know the area well. We stopped and talked for a while and he was happy to get to know a little bit about the history of the Lasgarn, before making his way. It was a good feeling to share.

A Magical Land

We all like to leave the best for last, so hopefully I will have done that with these last few photographs.

Away from the old quarry workings lies the oldest part of the woodland through which the Nant-y-Maelor stream gently flows, well at the moment anyway, it can have an altogether different character after an intense downpour.

This is always a good place to end a walk. The soothing sound of trickling water and the sparkling, flickering sunlight on the stream like so many diamonds in all their glory held my attention for quite some time.

I noticed too, the gentle movement of leaves caught in the slowly flowing water arranging a patchwork of reflections and textures, reminiscent in my eyes of Monet’s paintings and yet so different as well with my thoughts curiously turning to the mystical importance that water held for the ancients. This part of the woodland is truly magical.

 And then … as I was about to leave the wood, a look back over my shoulder revealed a golden sun caught between two elongated trunks painting everything in its path with a sumptuous, velvet glow.

Woodland walks on days like this fill your boots with such joy!

Some Useful Information

Parking – there is limited parking for about three or so cars at The Rising Sun Bridge, located just below the main road near The Rising Sun Pub. There are also places that you can park nearby.

Walking – There are many ways to access the Lasgarn Woodland but all the paths leading up are steep and rocky. An alternative way up to the woodland is to follow Waterworks Lane right to the very top where there is a gateway next to a farm. The paths in the wood can be very muddy at this time of the year.

Equipment – I would recommend the use of a stick and good sturdy boots are a must. Being prepared for wet weather is always a good idea, especially in the Winter.

Weather – there has been a fair amount of damage to the trees caused by the recent stormy weather. In fact, I have noticed a good many trees have fallen throughout the area along many of my walk routes. It is best to avoid woodland during periods of high winds, as it is so hard to predict when a tree will fall.