Dragons in crystal and lunch on the wing Print E-mail

Linda Hart visits Rhayader, at the crossroads of north and south Wales, and finds there is more to this sparsely settled countryside than at first meets the eye. 

Stand beside the clock tower in the centre of Rhayader and you are standing at an historic crossroads halfway between north and south Wales, and halfway between the English border and the Welsh coast. Cattle drovers, Christian missionaries, Welsh princes and English navvies have all left their mark on mid-Wales, and Rhayader (pronounced more like its Welsh spelling, Rhaeadr) is the only town in this sparsely settled upland countryside.

The four streets radiating from Rhayader's clock tower are named after the points of the compass. This may not be imaginative nor even Welsh, but you certainly know which direction you are heading in.

North Street takes you to the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust's nature reserve and visitor centre at Gilfach, 420 acres of moorland, meadows and woodland laced with trails - and only three miles from Rhayader. If you walk down South Street and then up a farm drive, you soon arrive at the famous Red Kite Feeding Station. By strolling just a few hundred yards along East Street you can visit the renowned Welsh Royal Crystal factory and showroom.

West Street takes you in a matter of minutes to a riverside park beside the River Wye. A bit further on is the start of the eight-mile Elan Valley Trail. A couple of miles beyond, via the B4518, and you reach the Elan Valley Visitor Centre, set against the stunning backdrop of the Cambrian hills and the nine-mile long string of reservoirs created over 100 years ago.

See how it's done

A sudden shower sent me down East Street to Welsh Royal Crystal - the principality's foremost creator of hand-crafted lead crystal tableware, stemware, giftware and celebratory trophies. Under one roof I was able to browse and buy in the showroom, tour the workshop to watch the crystal being cut and eat lunch in the café.

There are only two highly skilled crystal cutters left in Wales, and I found both of them here. Ken Dauncey and Alan O'Neill are cousins, and between them they've clocked up 70 years of designing and cutting crystal. I knew I was in the hands of experts as they showed me how it's done, and then let me have a try at marking up and cutting my own wine glass.

Ken began by marking a 'grid line' on my glass, measuring with his fingers but using a linoleum template as a guide. This grid, drawn on the glass in blue felt-tip pen, helps the cutter make an even distribution of the pattern. I then completed the job, though my lines were wobbly while Ken's were straight.

Then Alan held the side of the glass against a diamond-coated abrasive wheel, turning at 3,500 revolutions per minute, to cut a wheatsheaf design into my glass. I took over and finished the job - making it look like a wind storm had suddenly hit the ear of wheat.

The shapes of the moulds used by Welsh Royal Crystal are unique. Ken checks each uncut piece carefully for imperfections - to be expected occasionally when the glass is produced at temperatures of 1,100°C. If there is a flaw in the glass, Alan can usually remove it during the cutting process.

"The flaw is in the glass," explained Ken, "not in the decorating". If a flaw can't be cut out, the crystal is sold as a second. Only the highest quality pieces are sand-blasted with the Welsh Royal Crystal assay mark, a traditional Welsh dragon.

They produce many made-to-order trophies - for the Welsh Woman of the Year award, Welsh Rugby Players Association, Cardiff Singer of the World award, Barclays Bank, Midlands Bank, World Travel Market, Sony, Texaco and others. When he was Prime Minister, John Major presented 224 Charter Mark awards to public organisations, and the crystal trophies were designed and produced here.

Director Denise Jones told me she would be pleased to arrange a group visit for any WIs (see details below). What she didn't tell me is that in 2002 she met the Queen. It was only when leaving that I spotted a photo of Denise presenting the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with a crystal barrel at a Golden Jubilee in Wales.

Dinner is served

After lunch I realised that the red kites would soon be having their lunch. So I hurried along to Gigrin Farm, opened to the public as the Red Kite Feeding Station in 1994. About 40 of us settled quietly into five strategically placed hides, and at 3.00pm Chris Powell scattered scraps of raw meat within 50 yards of us.

The crows arrived first, and then about 50 kites swooped down to grasp some meat in their talons or chase the crows and rob them in mid-flight. It was thrilling to watch the kites take their meat aloft and eat it while flying.

The red kite, Wales's national bird, came close to extinction, but efforts to protect them and publicise their plight have proved successful. There are now around 1,000 kites soaring gracefully above the Welsh countryside. Visitors to Gigrin Farm will also find a shop, interpretive centre, picnic tables and a waymarked nature trail.

Victorian dams

Rhayader is billed as the "gateway to the Elan Valley lakes", so when the next day dawned dry and clear that's where I headed. The word "lakes" isn't exactly accurate. What attracts 120,000 visitors every year is a string of four linked dams and reservoirs, set in 180km2 (70 square miles) of stunning countryside.

This Victorian engineering project was designed to dam, store and distribute water to millions of homes and businesses in Birmingham. Today the scheme still provides Birmingham with most of its water, while the Elan Valley Estate welcomes walkers, riders, cyclists, ornithologists, picnickers and Sunday drivers.

Sinuous roads thread their way around the hills, valleys, woodlands and reservoirs, with plenty of places to stop and park. Walking and wildlife leaflets at the riverside Elan Valley Visitor Centre are piled high, but the exhibits, educational film, gift shop and café may tempt you to linger for a while.

The Elan Valley Trail meanders alongside all four reservoirs, taking ramblers, cyclists and riders along the line of the old railway. I met some walkers who recommended that I visit Gilfach Nature Reserve, so the next day I followed one of their circular trails through the reserve, and enjoyed the inventive displays in the traditional Welsh longhouse and the 18th-century barn.

Rhayader itself is a small market town with very friendly shopkeepers. I spotted only one multiple (a small Spar). There are antique and gift shops, an ironmonger, organic greengrocer, wholefood shop, bookshop, outdoor clothing shop and a modern leisure centre.

Rhayader Indoor Market on East Street defies description, as it seems to sell a little of everything. "People call it an Aladdin's cave," said the friendly proprietor, Marianne Gray. There are also many craft workshops that can be visited, such as Cole Woodturners and Marston Pottery.

The last thing I did before leaving Rhayader was return to the tourist information office and ask for a list of self-catering accommodation: a return visit was definitely on the cards.
 
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