24 swdirectories.com January 2015

The Forest Drive to Twmbarlwm…There is an Alternative

“THE CWMCARN FOREST DRIVE will be closed forseveral years…” was the message in the last issue.This was pretty bad news for CymdeithasTwmbarlwm Society as we aim to encourage peopleto visit Twmbarlwm as much as possible, to enjoythe scenery and its history, and the Forest Driveprovided easy access to our beautiful mountain.Many visitors like to drive to car park 2, then walk acrossthe relatively flat ridgeway to the iconic Tump. I regularlywalk to the top of the Tump and often talk to those whohave taken that route – and they look down themountain and are surprised to see a car park on thecommon, just half a mile below them. I smugly explainit’s local knowledge how to get there – but with theclosure of the Forest Drive the route from the Risca sideof Twmbarlwm is the only alternative for those whoprefer to drive the first part of the steep climb.

Indeed, it is now the only route for those whoare less able – I’m the first to admit thatsince I developed “a bit of a bad-knee” Ifind it very convenient to drive upMountain Road to the car park and it’sa relatively easy walk to the top fromthere. Visit our website to get directionsand a sketch map of the route.

I must stress, however, that the route is a single tracklane all the way with several passing places, so youneed to take great care and drive slowly and sensiblyalong the lane and above all be courteous to other usersyou may encounter coming the other way, especially indeciding who should pull over into to the nearestpassing place.

An ideal location to start your new get fit regime.This route could also be a useful starting point for thosewho have made the New Year’s Resolution to getthemselves fit and/or lose a few pounds. If you are alittle unfit, the thought of running (or walking) up a steepmountain will fill you with dread and is probably notrecommended. I suggest that you drive to the car-parkand from there, the walk up the farm track is not toosteep and will soon raise your pulse rate. Once on theridgeway it’s quite flat and you can choose your ownpace for a longer walk or run.

Personally I find it crazy that people pay an extortionateamount to join a gym just to walk on an electronicmachine while watching MTV alongside other sweating,

panting individuals. When, for absolutely no outlay, youcan get out into the fresh air with beautiful scenery allaround and soft grass beneath your feet to walk or runas far as you want.

OK, you may need to get some decent walking shoesand a waterproof coat, but the rewards of walking ourhillsides can be as much spiritual as they are physical.Conquering the walk to the summit and taking in the

views can fill you with a feeling of selfsatisfaction and achievement much more

than a half hour on a tread machine.

And this is an activity the whole familycan take part in. Take the kids with you– the younger ones will love splashing

through the mud and puddles andsearching out what wildlife they can, and

I’ve even heard teenagers grudgingly admit thatthey’ve enjoyed a walk on the mountain.

Take your parents with you – they’ll say they used tocome up here all the time as kids but haven’t been upthere for years, and they will probably race you to thetop when they get there. Or they can just sit in the carto wait for you while contemplating the view overNewport, the Bristol Channel and Cardiff.

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick on the lastSunday of every month to which everyone is invited, it’snot hard work and it’s a great opportunity to find yourway around up there. We organise walks up themountain throughout the year (you’d be amazed howmany different routes we know) so watch our websitefor details and come and join us some time.

We also plan to hold a “Bio-Blitz”, led by ecologyexperts, in late spring which will be both educationaland great fun for kids of all ages, if you think your schoolor organisation would like to get involved in that, pleaseget in touch through our website.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

It will be a few years before visitors will be able experience theCwmcarn Forest Drive in all its autumnal beauty like this.Photos by Terry Evans

The winding Mountain Road to Twmbarlwm

The Forest Drive to Twmbarlwm…There is an Alternative

Residents of Twmbarlwm

24 swdirectories.com March 2015

MYNYDD TWMBARLWM intrigues us all with its historical mysteryboth factual and mythical. Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society has, sinceits inception, explored these subjects in many of our talks and writtenarticles. But rarely have we visited the question of what actually liveson Twmbarlwm now!

I bet not many of you know thatTwmbarlwm and its environs is aSINC (a Site of Importance forNatural Conservation) which is anofficial designation that helps an areato protect and enhance thelandscape and its wild flora andfauna with the implementation ofBiodiversity Action Plans. No, I didn’tknow that myself until recently - butI’m glad it exists.

Like many of you, I love to walk this mountain of oursand one of my favourite pastimes there is to lie flat onthe ground, on a bed of wimberry bushes and heather,searching the sky for the high flying Skylarks who soarto incredible heights whilst continuously chirruping theirhigh pitched songs. Yet when I spot an unusual bird,creature or wildflower I feel that I must find out exactlywhat it is.

I’m no great ornithologist but I can recognise the mostcommon visitors to our mountain - the various Tits,Great, Coal and Blue - the common Buzzard gliding theair currents - Song Thrushes, Ravens, Warblers and, ofcourse, the famous spring time visitor, the Cuckoo. I’veseen both the Green and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers,Jays, Fieldfares and even a couple of Woodcocks.

I tend not to see much wildlife at my feet because mydogs have usually frightened everything away but I havecome across frogs, toads, lizards, mice (or are theyvoles) and slow worms which I used to spend hourssearching for when I was a lad.

I’m told there are grass snakes and some say they’veeven encountered adders. I’ve also heard reports ofDormice, they were last recorded in 2004, so I sincerelyhope they are thriving here still.

Funnily enough I’venever seen rabbits uphere - lower down thehillside but never up onthe ridgeway. There’splenty of evidence offoxes and I’ve seen theirtracks in the snow and Iknow the farmers arevery wary of them comelambing time.

I’ve taken plenty of photos of butterflies like the redadmirals, peacocks and tortoiseshell but often havedifficulty telling them apart. I’ve usually got to get thereference books out when I get home.

As regards the flora I get totally lost with all those Latinnames but it’s the flora that makes the landscape asbeautiful as it is and it’s what attracts the abundance ofwildlife here.

The official documentation tells me this upland areais a mix of acid grassland and heath vegetation withbracken and coniferous planting on the valley sides andthere’s a long list of grassland species recorded in thelast survey of the area in 2007.

As you can see there has been no official record ofthe area for many years and the Society is hoping toorganise our own survey of the area with a Bio-Blitz inthe late spring, early summer. However, we could dowith a little more help and would like to hear from anyonewho has specialistknowledge in these areas.

This event will be botheducational and great funfor kids of all ages, if yourschool or organisationwould like to get involved,please get in touchthrough our website.

Terry Evans (Chair Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society)

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick and volunteerworkday on the last Sunday of every month to whicheveryone is invited, it’s not all hardwork and it’s a greatopportunity to find yourway around up there.We often organisewalks up the mountainthroughout the year(you’d be amazed howmany different routes weknow) so watch our website fordetails and come and join us some time.

The Hot Cross Bun Walk this year is on Good Friday3rd April. This is a local tradition that CTS has taken partin for the last four years see our website for details onhow you can join in the fun this year.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

Residents of Twmbarlwm

The Cuckoo - will he be there intime for the Good Friday Walk The Common Buzzard

The Common Frog Slow Worm

Hazel Dormouse

Peacock Butterfly

Back into the Future…

24 swdirectories.com May 2015

I’M SAT HERE writing this article a week or so beforethe traditional walk to the top of Twmbarlwm onGood Friday. The event will have come and gone bythe time you read this, so I’m going to look into mycrystal ball and anticipate the conversations I willhave on the day and you will be able to judge theaccuracy of my predictions.

I’m sure I will meet people who will tell me that theyalways used to climb up Twmbarlwm with their parentson Good Friday or used to play up here all the time askids. They will be surprised how it’s changed since thosedays, how they remember the green grassy slopes andpicking wimberries in the summer. I will tell them thatthose reasons are what got Cymdeithas TwmbarlwmSociety started some four years ago, we are a group oflike minded people trying to restore themountain to its former natural beauty andmaintain it as a pleasant place to visit forthe whole community.

I expect some bloke to ask “…exactly what is this Twmp thenbutt?” – I will tell him that some say it’s anIron Age Hill fort, others that it’s a NormanWatch Tower. In fact there’s been very littleresearch into it, which is why CTS are exploring avenuesof research through Cadw and archaeologicalorganisations and we have occasional visits fromprominent historians to talk on their specialist theories.

Someone is bound to tell me a story about the timethey were walking along the ridgeway when a gang ofmotorbike scramblers whizzed past them and how theywere cutting up the landscape. I will tell them that themotorbikes or 4x4s are not allowed up there, there is nobyway along the top of Mynydd Maen and MynyddHenllys. This is the one topic CTS has worked ontirelessly with the police and local authorities to rid themountainside of this nuisance and to educate theoffenders.

We’ll spot some oink dropping a sweet wrapper andsome old timer will remark about the amount of litter andeven fly-tipping they see up here. I will inform him thatmembers of CTS meet up here regularly to have alitterpick and how we work with Keep Wales Tidy andlocal authorities to try to keep the mess to a minimum.

I hope that someone will notice the new fences

around the mountain so that I can boast that, actually, itwas CTS volunteers that built them – with a local farmerand a grant from the Welsh Government we erectedover a kilometre of double fencing with nearly 4,000trees planted in between them. We have also installedpaths, gates and an impressive stone monument. All thiswork has helped deter illegal off-roaders whilst ensuringlivestock cannot escape off the mountain.

Talking of the livestock, a worried lady with a dog willquery why cattle are allowed to roam free on themountain. I’ll tell her to follow the Ramblers’ advice andskirt around the cattle with your dog at heel under propercontrol, if they come too close let your dog off the lead,the cattle are more likely to follow the dog than you. I’llalso inform the lady that the cattle and sheep belong to

various farmers who have commoners’ grazingrights and in fact their grazing is vital to

maintain the landscape. CTS has a closerelationship with the Commoners’Association and the landowners, all whohave the same aims as us to improve

the area.

If you were part of any of these fictitiousconversations I hope I didn’t bore you too much

on the Hot Cross Bun Walk. I hope I convinced you thatCTS has already had great success in the fight to restoreour mountain to its former glory and the society can onlycontinue to create a better environment with the hardwork of its members.

I’d hate to think of Twmbarlwm going to rack and ruinon our watch, I want to see a landscape I can be proudto hand over to future generations. For the CTS successto continue we need members willing to lend a little timeto physical and administrative work, please contact usthrough the website if you are interested.

Terry Evans (Chair Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society)

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick and volunteerworkday on the last Sunday of every month to whicheveryone is invited, it’s not all hard work and it’s a greatopportunity to find your way around up there. Weorganise walks and other events up the mountainthroughout the year so watch our website and Facebookpage for details – come and join us some time.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

Back into the Future…

Looking Forward to Talking toYou up Twmbarlwm Last monthPhoto shows the 2014 Hot Cross Bun Walk,let’s hope the weather was as good this year

24 swdirectories.com June/July 2015

LOVE IT OR HATE IT but, so called, SocialMedia is here to stay and it is becoming a vitaland useful tool if you are running a society,promoting a campaign or simply seekinginformation.

When Mr Zuckerberg drunkenly created hisfirst entry on his Facemash blog he only intendedto link up and have a laugh with his Harvard chumsand I doubt that he thought that, one day, groupsof unrelated people would be able to share theircommon interests across the globe. Although itdidn’t take him long to realise that potential.

Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society’s websiteaims to inform members of up-to-date news andevents but it can be quite labour intensive andrequires a degree of expert knowledge to maintain.On the other hand, social media like Facebookand Twitter is more universally accessible fromyour laptop, tablet or smart phone.

Okay, you get a few crackpots who want todisrupt, criticise, and generally spoil your efforts.The CTS Facebook group has had its fair share ofthose but that’s just a reflection of society ingeneral and you learn to deal with them. I think theadvantages of using social media to help run asociety outweigh the disadvantages.

For example one of our founder members, RobSouthall, has found Facebook extremely useful in helpinghis research into the Lost Farmsteads of Twmbarlwmand Mynydd Maen with followers providing importantinformation to help with his studies. Also there’s anothergroup called Risca Past and Present in which peoplehave provided some fascinating photographs and theirmemories of the locality which you won’t find in anyhistory book.

It can be amazing how generous some people canbe with what they share – for instance, on the CTS pagerecently, historian and drone videographer, Paul Davis,gave us some fabulous aerial views around Twmbarlwmallowing us to see the hill-fort from angles never beforepossible. The footage gives credence to Paul’s theorythat the top of the Tump was once ploughed, apossibility that was also suggested by a geo-physicalsurvey. The ploughing could have occurred at the timeof the Napoleonic Wars when Britain needed extra grainproduction. Thus social media even offers a platform forarchaeologists and scholars to debate their theories.

There are nearly 300 members on our Facebookpage, if you want to get involved, search for CymdeithasTwmbarlwm Society from your Facebook timeline andjoin in the discussions or share with us your photos,stories and opinions. But don’t forget to learn how touse your privacy settings so that you only allow thepeople you want to see your personal information.

Other local groups with similar interests as CTS, whouse Facebook include Blaen Bran CommunityWoodland, Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive, AncientCwmbran Society, Forgotten Landscapes and ofcourse, Gwent Police and we all find it a useful resourceto keep abreast of each other’s activities.

Terry Evans (Chair Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society)

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick and volunteerworkday on the last Sunday of every month to whicheveryone is invited, it’s not all hard work and it’s a greatopportunity to find your way around up there. Weorganise walks and other events up the mountainthroughout the year so watch our website and Facebookpage for details – come and join us some time.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

Please Like Me…

An aerial shot of the top of Twmbarlwm takenfrom one of Paul Davis’ remarkable drone videos.It shows what could easily be furrow lines fromploughing that took place some 200 years ago.

24 swdirectories.com August 2015

OKAY I’LL STOP SHORT of recreating the famousWW1 poster but there is still a battle to be won onTwmbarlwm and this article is an unashamedattempt to persuade a few more recruits to joinCymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society.

The society was founded back in 2010 with thegeneral aims to protect the iron age hill fort (a ScheduledAncient Monument) at the summit and to restore thesurrounding landscape to its former glory after years ofabuse by off-roaders and other anti-social activity.

Through the stirling efforts of the members a greatdeal has been achieved over the past 4 years – most ofwhich has been recorded on these pages. A car parkhas been built, many fences repaired and footpathsinstalled in sensitive areas.

Unfortunately, like many societies, after the initialenthusiasm for the cause, many people let theirmembership lapse or decide that the few leading thesociety are doing a good enough job without them. Thetrouble with that way of thinking is the fact that thoseleaders need continual help and inspiration of membersto further the aims and objectives of the group.

But why should you become a member? Put simply,if you care for your locality, if you care for your heritage,if you want to leave a worthwhile legacy for your childrenand grandchildren you should consider joining. You canbecome a “Friend of CTS” by joining the Facebookgroup where there are often interestingdiscussions about the Tump. Or go to ourwebsite for details of full membershipwhich is just £10 per year – the fee or yourdonation goes entirely to the society’svarious projects on the mountain.

It seems that belonging to a society is notvery fashionable, especially for the youngergeneration. But whenever I speak to visitors I meet upthe Tump they are always appreciative of the work wedo and promise to look us up online when they gethome. They might look us up but they rarely join up,which is a shame because I’m sure many of them havesomething special to offer the society.

The society would really appreciate members or“friends” who could offer physical help with our projectsor even those with expert knowledge in archaeology,ecology or any field that would help the running andobjectives of the society.

Despite our achievements thus far, the needs of themountain are pretty much the same as when we first

started. We’ve improved the paths on the hill-top itselfbut we are still pursuing avenues to do more researchinto the archaeology of the area.

Off-roading and fly-tipping are ongoing problems andwe endeavour to keep a dialogue with the police andcouncils to address any incidents as soon as they occur.

These issues need the diligence of thegeneral public, not just the membership,

to combat this nuisance.

The society is also keen toestablish links with other local groupswith similar aims so that we may work

together on projects or to find funding –if you belong to one such group, please get

in touch. We are particularly grateful to the LocalCommunity Payback Team who regularly do litter-pickson Twmbarlwm and collect the rubbish bags after wehave completed our own monthly litter-pick.

Terry Evans (Chair Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society)

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick and volunteerworkday on the last Sunday of every month to whicheveryone is invited, it’s not all hard work and it’s a greatopportunity to find your way around up there. Weorganise walks and other events up the mountainthroughout the year so watch our website and Facebookpage for details – come and join us some time.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

Your MountainNeeds You!!

An idyllic view of Twmbarlwm at the height of summercovered in bracken and foxgloves.

Panoramic view from Twmbarlwm. On a clear day you cansee seven counties from the summit. Photo: T.C.Evans

Photos: T.C.Evans

24 swdirectories.com October 2015

The ridgeway from the top of Twmbarlwm acrossMynydd Henllys, Mynydd Maen over to MynyddLlwyd and Cwm Lickey is all “common land” and assuch, Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society worksclosely with the local Commoners to achieve ourmutual goals of managing the landscape. But whatexactly is a “Common” – Les Murphy, chairman ofthe local Commoners’ Association gave me thefollowing potted history and information.

What is a Common? It can be a village green, acommunal playing field, a school playing field, ManorialWaste, Common Land (as defined on an OS map), orsome lands owned by local communities.

Commons came into being to protect the ordinaryman’s rights to graze livestock, take fish, cut fodder, cutbedding, gather firewood, practice archery, playgames and preserve open spaces.

Great changes came about in theeighteenth century with the ‘EnclosureActs’ which allowed those who couldafford it and had the parliamentaryinfluence, to ‘fence in’ all the strips of landthat were open and in the public domain.

According to history this was done to forcedependence on the poor, thus providing much neededlabour to the rich landowners. But as many people werebecoming independent with their right to ‘strip plough’and graze the open land, they had little need to seekadditional work off the Lord of the manor. This gave riseto many disputes throughout the land and people whowere freeholders became tenants overnight.

Thus all the land in Britain became someone’sproperty. The manors were obliged to provide grazingand other rights to those fortunate enough to lay claimto such rights, as a result areas of land were classed asManorial Waste or Common Land for those uses.Needless to say they were usually the least favourableto agriculture.

People with the ‘right of common’ can exercisethose rights in accordance with their particular claim.Commons were never given the self ruling statute assome foresters have, such as the ‘Speech House’ in theForest of Dean, where all local disputes and grievancescould be heard by elected officers - the grazing andother rights are all decided at the Speech House.

However, we do have ‘Commons ManagementTeams’ who administer the common on behalf of thosewith the ‘right of common’.

The active management of common land makes asignificant contribution to rural economies and themaintenance of local communities

The active grazing of commons provides substantialpublic benefits by managing land to enhance itslandscape, biodiversity, access, heritage and otherenvironmental goods

Common land and the exercise of common rightsare fundamental components of our historic and on-going culture.

Sadly many people with the ‘right of common’ donot exercise those rights – either through ignorance,apathy or lack of interest. So, it is left to a small numberof people to maintain and administer the common.

Note that there is always a ‘Land Owner’ andthe commoners can only use the common

within their individual agreements.

According to the 2006 CommonsAct all disputes should go firstly to theManagement Team and then to theLand Owner (in our case the Land

Owner is on the Management Team).The Land Owner maintains the mineral

rights and can exploit those with the co-operationof the commoners.

But what does all this mean to the general public?The ‘right to roam’ on common land means you can useit for activities like: walking, sightseeing, bird watching,picnicking, climbing, running.

Yet you are not allowed to camp on common land,light a fire or have a barbecue, hold a festival or otherevent, ride a horse or bicycle, take animals other thandogs or drive a motorised vehicle. Horse-riding andcycling is permissible if the landowner allows it or ifpublic bridleways or byways cross the land.

Also remember that a motorised vehicle can only beused on a Green Lane that is classified as a road andcrosses common land if you have a driving licence,insurance, tax, MOT and legal number plates.

Terry Evans (Chair Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society)

CTS meet at the car park for a litter pick and volunteerworkday on the last Sunday of every month to whicheveryone is invited, it’s not all hard work and it’s a greatopportunity to find your way around up there. Weorganise walks and other events up the mountainthroughout the year so watch our website and Facebookpage for details – come and join us some time.

www.twmbarlwm.co.uk

Heritage of OurCommons

A Commoner’s Welsh Black Cattle graze the lushlandscape of Twmbarlwm. Photo: Terry C Evans