Beauty in simplicity

The stone arch at Strata Florida and the countryside beyon

Ceredigion….

I have been pondering of late about Ceredigion’s relatively undiscovered nature when compared to its neighbours Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire. Is it the lack of train stations? (we only have one mainline station in the whole of the county), or possibly the lack of motorways?…..none of those here. Or perhaps it is just a secret that people feel is worth keeping.

It has an incredible coastline, resident dolphins, the breath-taking Cambrian Mountains, tranquil lakes, stunning waterfalls and ancient forests. It is smack bang in between the three Welsh national parks and a dark sky reserve. Yet it is far less frequented by visitors than its neighbouring counties.

One of the questions we often get asked is ‘what is there to DO there?’…..usually I come up with a huge long list of things that you can do whilst holidaying here. You can find some suggestions here should you so wish, but the more I think about it, the more I feel the lists of things doesn’t really communicate the essence of the place.

It dawned on me today that Ceredigion, in contrast to some of its neighbouring counties, is not about doing at all. You can’t climb Wales’ highest mountain here, nor ride the longest zip line, and whilst there is plenty to experience, it’s just not a place that is about ticking off checklists.

It’s a place to experience an authentic part of Wales. A place where the language is still alive, the food is crafted literally around the corner and everyone really does know everyone else. A place where you can round a country lane at a whopping 30mph and see neighbours stopped in the middle of the road chatting, and a place where time moves in a manner that means a small delay to your journey feels more like a gift than an inconvenience. Rushing is not really a thing around here.

Sunset from the farm

The beauty, the bewitching, intoxicating nature of the place is that it is a place about being. It is a place to breathe, to relax, to rediscover, to reconnect. There is real beauty in the simplicity, a sense of the wilderness that remains untamed. A place where the road less travelled is the one you are standing on.

You can do things anywhere, come and be in Ceredigion.

#BeautyInSimplicity #BeingNotDoing #YearOfDiscovery #CambrianMountains

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