Category: Voices of Wales

Wales has more experts in the field than just 10 million sheep… Here at Undiscovered Wales, we bring you regular interviews with locals who have a unique story to tell: from artisan coffee roasters to bog-snorkelling world champions and wilderness survival experts. Experience the country through the eyes of its most fascinating, enterprising and talented people.

Voices of Wales

Where eagles dare: finding out about Wales’ latest wildlife reintroduction project with Eagle Reintroduction Wales’ manager Sophie-lee Williams

Wales boasts some spectacular nature but, for the last few hundred years at least, it has been of the tamer, gentler variety by world standards. This may be about to change as a project to reintroduce those kings of the skies – eagles – to the Welsh moorland, mountains and coasts, gains momentum. We swoop at the chance to catch up with the project manager … Continue reading Where eagles dare: finding out about Wales’ latest wildlife reintroduction project with Eagle Reintroduction Wales’ manager Sophie-lee Williams

lwaterson
Voices of Wales

Love is a spoon: we meet master lovespoon craftsman Paul Curtis

Forget the usual hearts, flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day – say it instead with something more lasting in the form of a hand-carved, one-of-a-kind Welsh lovespoon. Giving us the scoop on what makes these spoons and their symbolism so special is master craftsman Paul Curtis of Angel Woodcraft in Pontypridd, who has carved some of the country’s finest over the past three decades: as … Continue reading Love is a spoon: we meet master lovespoon craftsman Paul Curtis

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

Chewing the fat with Gareth Ward of Michelin-starred restaurant Ynyshir

Fat might be a dirty word for many, but to Gareth Ward, head chef and co-owner of Michelin-star destination restaurant Ynyshir, near Machynlleth, it’s a beautiful and multi-textured thing. His sensational tasting menu is magic wand-waving stuff: 20 courses, each exquisitely composed with an obsessive’s eye, which take you from boat-fresh local lobster to six-month-aged Wagyu beef that a knife glides through like butter. But … Continue reading Chewing the fat with Gareth Ward of Michelin-starred restaurant Ynyshir

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

What it’s like to walk right around Wales: tips and tales from the trail with seasoned hiker Michelle Gollins

Few people can say they have walked the entire way around a country. Wales might have become the world’s first nation to have a footpath all along its borders with the completion of the Wales Coast Path (WCP) in 2012, therefore making the challenge more possible. But actually doing the hike, 870 miles on the WCP, another 177 miles on the Offa’s Dyke Path (ODP) … Continue reading What it’s like to walk right around Wales: tips and tales from the trail with seasoned hiker Michelle Gollins

lwaterson
Voices of Wales

Why nature always provides a home – meet Grant Hyatt, landscape photographer and homelessness project manager in Denbighshire

If landscape photography and homelessness appear to have little in common on paper, speaking to Grant Hyatt proves otherwise. Based in the wilds of North Wales, he reveals why nature always provides a home and how – especially during these challenging Covid-19 times – we should turn our attention to what lies on our own doorstep, both in terms of wilderness and the vulnerable people … Continue reading Why nature always provides a home – meet Grant Hyatt, landscape photographer and homelessness project manager in Denbighshire

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

Getting rugged in Snowdonia with Kate and Ross Worthington of RAW Adventures

From essential training in hill, mountain and wilderness skills to guiding adventure-seekers on hardcore challenges like the Welsh 3000s (Northern Snowdonia’s 15 highest summits) and organising recce events to those preparing for the world’s toughest competitive mountain run (the Dragon’s Back Race from Conwy to Cardiff across the remote central spine of Wales), RAW Adventures have been leading people into North Wales’ mightiest and most … Continue reading Getting rugged in Snowdonia with Kate and Ross Worthington of RAW Adventures

lwaterson
Voices of Wales

Pembrokeshire through an illustrator’s eyes: Jackie Morris puts us in the picture

Goldfinches in mid-flight, a proud oak bent in the breeze, the unfurling of a fern, an owl gliding on a moonlit night, the slippery grace of an otter under water – Jackie Morris’ illustrations are the ultimate journey into the natural world through the simple act of turning a page. The British artist and writer lives in a cottage in Pembrokeshire on Wales’ wild west … Continue reading Pembrokeshire through an illustrator’s eyes: Jackie Morris puts us in the picture

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

Stargazing in the Cambrian Mountains at summer solstice with Dafydd Wyn Morgan

The Cambrian Mountains are home to some of the UK’s darkest night skies, with very little light pollution making for perfect stargazing conditions. We talk to Dafydd Wyn Morgan, project manager for Dyfodol Cambrian Futures, about the Cambrian Mountains Astro Trail that has recently put this remote, wild corner of Wales firmly on the celestial map. Taking in nine locations that have been awarded Milky … Continue reading Stargazing in the Cambrian Mountains at summer solstice with Dafydd Wyn Morgan

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

Talking gin with James Wright of Aber Falls Distillery

Put everything else on ice: it’s time to chill the tonic and make the ultimate lockdown G&T for World Gin Day on 13th June. To give you a head start, we talk to James Wright, managing director at Aber Falls Distillery in Snowdonia, about Welsh gin and how to best drink it.  What’s the secret to the perfect G&T, James?  Nothing tastes as delicious as … Continue reading Talking gin with James Wright of Aber Falls Distillery

Kerry Walker
Voices of Wales

Up high, close and personal with Mark Bond, treehouse eco-stay entrepreneur

Eco-retreat creator Mark Bond built (with his business partner) the UK’s first rentable treehouses, the living-room treehouse experience, out in a wild, woodsy Mid Wales valley. We catch up with him up in the canopy to chat about what makes his arboreal accommodation special, about the Dyfi Valley’s long-standing reputation as a centre of eco-activity and about his plans to revolutionise the Wales hospitality scene … Continue reading Up high, close and personal with Mark Bond, treehouse eco-stay entrepreneur

lwaterson