Cefn Rhouniarth Coppice

Modern farm buildings at Tan House Farm

Modern farm buildings at Red House Farm

Modern farm buildings at Trefnanney Farm

Hedgerow and in-field tree near Bryn-mawr

Farmstead near Cefn Broniarth

Hedgerow and field near Little Rhos Farm

Road with hedgerows

Vernacular and modern farm buildings at Burgedin farm

Modern farm buildings at Gwreiddyn Farm

Dated 1650, but I think this date refers to the porch only and there are Tudor period arches inside, see Coflein, Link here. 1650 - think English Civil War, Cromwell in Ireland, turmoil, Puritans and general weirdness.

Yup, one of those remarkable properties that I occasionally come across on my walks where virtually no normality prevails, and this one is an absolute corker! Firstly, it has been extended, but the work has never been completed, though admittedly it is difficult to be precise in estimating this with any degree of certainty, maybe they wanted a Spanish bodega-style / slash drug cartel fortified bunker-style look? Secondly, there seem to be several abandoned vehicles - great work. Perfectly normal and totally representative of the oeuvre. Thirdly, there is a yard adjacent, containing the usual insanely wonderful mismatch of long unroadworthy vehicles of multi-farious natures, some possibly repurposed as storage, again, it is hard to say. All I can say is that you cannot simply recreate these overnight. No, it takes decades, at least, to accrue such many-layered accumulations of objects and then rapidly lose interest in nearly every single one until it is obvious to even the disinterested eye that here many, many projects have foundered, many plans scuppered themselves and many opportunities for diversification and income generation skidded themselves into the ditch... I love it. It at once revolts my senses and compels me to examine it closely. Such flamboyant neglect, such elan, such a lack of consideration for everyone and everything! The Turner Art Prize eat your heart out! No Tracy Emin piece or embalmed shark comes close to this. This IS true art. And this is just one corner of it. It is glorious. I could revisit it a million times, each piece speaking a thousand pages...

More stuff! A static caravan, presumably unoccupied, but maybe very much occupied - it could well be someone's abode. Next to that a touring caravan. Again, the same could apply. Nest to that a Manitou all-purpose work-horse JCB type thing. I don't know if I would want to sleep / live in a caravan with a working fork-lift passing immediately by presumably many times a day.... And there is more.

Trailers, water pipes, rocks, carved stone lintels (?), water tanks, many pallets, various vans, storage sheds, machinery that I can't identify etc etc. What is it all for? None of my business. How long has it been there? None of my business. I love it. A man must be able to exist out here and just do whatever the hell he likes. Is anyone being harmed? No. Is any law being broken? No. It is to my eye, simply a celebration of male-ness, of individuality, of self-expression. And I applaud it. I can appreciate a John Dowland tune on an ancient lute, accompanied by a soaring soprano, a Monteverdi vesper, a punk rock guitar riff, a Van Gogh, a marching song the French Foreign Legion sing or a few lines of Milton...and I can appreciate the soul who accumulated this stuff and exhibited it her at the wayside for my eye to appraise. Thank you, whoever you are. More power to your elbow.

A pleasing lane to bimble along. I have recently been diverted off my intended route by a profusion of beefy bovines; a few herds of bullocks grazing in adjacent fields along my intended route, bullocks which all noticed me, wished to accompany me on my walks through their pastures and wanted to know if I could entertain them as I passed by...Their attention became unwelcome and hindered my progress so I decided to extend my route with a few lanes that could link up and get me out of trouble and to where I wished to be. Bit of a trudge but better than fighting a rearguard action against curious and excitable one tonne bovines while skirting a thorny hedgerow and trying to map read and keep my footing....So here I am in this lovely spot.

I am a big fan of narrow lanes with a grassy central strip. They are not often used, they are havens where you, as a walker, don't have to step aside for cars and can potter along admiring nature, talking happily to yourself and singing snatches of mis-remembered songs.

Nice looking place.

I assume it is being redeveloped rather than being a new build.

Here five lanes meet and I must select my lane correctly.