King Arthur and the Black Road
After breakfast we hiked next to the Crogennan lakes along the Ffordd Ddu (Black Road) an old Roman Road. After lunch we headed down through the woods towards the Arthog Falls.This evening at the town hall we were entertained by Mair Tomos Ifans playing the triple harp, sharing mythological tales of Arthur and singing traditional Welsh songs. The earliest Arthurian sources were composed in Wales, and today there is much focus on connecting the warrior to the landscape. The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth (1139) is one of the foremost texts that researchers are studying for clues. All the French Arthurian Romance tales were written before the Edwardian conquest of Wales in 1283. The locations in the novels are in Wales, described as a wild, untamed land full of marvels! Culhwch and Olwen is an 11th century Welsh tale, related to King Arthur and his warriors, that has survived in two manuscripts, White Book of Rhydderch ca.1325, and Red Book of Hergest ca. 1400. During our eight days together on our King Arthurs, Wild Wales Walkabout we learned a great deal and discussed many possibilities surrounding our historical past.