​Strata Florida courses and carol concert to end busy 2024

Prof Dafydd Johnston talking at what is believed to be poet Dafydd ap Gwilym’s burial place.

The Christmas carols event at Strata Florida last year.

Historical Mid Wales attraction Strata Florida has enjoyed a wide range of courses and events during 2024, with only a few opportunities left this year to get involved with something new in a truly unique and spiritual setting.
 
The former Cistercian abbey at Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron, isn’t just a site of historical significance and importance, it’s also a place to visit to try new things and develop skills.
 
On Saturday, October 26, from 10am to 4pm, Professor Dafydd Johnston will be sharing his in-depth work on Welsh poetry connected to Strata Florida, with particular focus on Gruffudd Gryg, Dafydd Nanmor, Hedd Wyn and T. Gwynn Jones, to name a few.
 
The course, which costs £50, will be suitable for Welsh speakers or for advanced level learners. Including a guided tour of the Abbey and Graveyard of St Mary’s Church, the course will be a unique opportunity to discover literature within the landscape.
 
On November 1 and 2, Dafydd Wyn Morgan’s Night Photography: An Introduction, returns following positive feedback. Only one place remains on this course, but more sessions are planned in 2025 with a cost of £60 for two evenings of instruction.
 
On Saturday, November 23, Jaqcueline Yallop returns to lead a course , costing £40, specifically for creative writing about the darkness and its place in our lives.
 
Rich with writing inspiration, Strata Florida is the ideal location to explore the theme of darkness due to its low light pollution and being less than a mile away from a Dark Skies Discovery Site.
 
To end the year, there will be a free Carol Concert n St Mary’s Church on Wednesday, December 4 at 6pm the second year running, with the Choirs For Good Aberystwyth  leading the songs.
 
The evening will be open to all who wish to celebrate through music and singing together. Donations will be welcome to The Strata Florida Trust to continue vital work of preserving and restoring buildings.
 
To find out more about the courses, visit https://www.strataflorida.org.uk or email  [email protected] .
 
The trust is restoring Mynachlog Fawr farmhouse and farm buildings, bringing new economic, social and cultural life to the area, whilst also celebrating Strata Florida’s unique landscape and history. 
 
A free ‘Mynachlog Fawr Exhibition’ is currently being held in a building on the site, giving visitors of all ages a chance to explore the social and agricultural history of the house and the local area.
 
The exhibition also contains an interactive Virtual Histories educational experience, which allows visitors to travel back to see a day in the life of Mynachlog Fawr farm in 1947 and the abbey in 1238.
 
Strata Florida Trust is a member of MWT Cymru, an independent organisation that represents around 550 tourism and hospitality businesses across Ceredigion, Powys and Southern Snowdonia (Eryri). For more information, visit https://www.mwtcymru.co.uk/ .

One of the photographs taken on a previous night photography course.