The Edge of Cymru

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Not only have these waterways introduced me to the peasant and the craftsman, but they have recaptured for me that sense of place which swift transport, standardisation and ever more centralised urban government are doing their best to destroy.

The workhouse was run by a Board of Guardians who were elected by the ratepayers of the Wrexham Union. The Board appointed a Master and Matron to oversee the day-to-day running of the workhouse. Able-bodied inmates were expected to toil in the workhouse’s workshops or farm. Infirm inmates were provided with food, clothing and shelter, but were not expected to work. The Edge of Cymru is the result of that lengthy walk, and a fantastic travelogue it is too. Funny, moving, idiosyncratic and occasionally dark, it’s a wonderful portrait of contemporary Wales and for those reasons alone it makes for a pleasurable and insightful read. Crimes of Cymru does not feel particularly Welsh. But I guess that means it accurately reflects the times in which these stories were written, rather than than the more self-confident Welsh literary scene of today. This period also saw the winding down and removal of heavy industry in Wales. Jobs in coal, steel, quarrying and manufacturing all disappeared. But this was not just about the loss of jobs, it was about communities; vibrant, confident and self-reliant communities were destroyed:

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Dr Amy-Jane Beer is a biologist turned naturalist and writer. She has worked for more than 20 years as a science writer and editor, contributing to more than 40 books on natural history. She is currently a Country Diarist for The Guardian, a columnist for British Wildlife and a feature writer for BBC Wildlife magazine, among others. She campaigns for the equality of access to nature and collaboration between farming and conservation sectors.

The Edge of Cymruis an absorbingly interesting hybrid, a cross between the conventional travelogue, eco-concern and Welsh history textbook, all made eminently readable by the jauntiness and clarity of the prose and the honesty of the book’s author as she walks the land’s edge.” Jon Gower, Nation Cymru We come from water, and water runs through us. It carries our chemistry and our stories. It shows us more than itself: all the colours and none. We are mostly water for all of our lives, but water is only us for a short time before it becomes something else. Perhaps we leave something of ourselves with it.

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But, notwithstanding the decline and disasters of the period of the 1960s through to the 1990s that Brittle With Relics portrays, this is ultimately an uplifting book. Despite the narrow referendum victory for devolution in 1997, support for the Senedd is now solid throughout Wales, as indicated by the overwhelming 2011 vote on increasing the Welsh Government’s powers. And according to the language app, Duolingo, Welsh is the fastest growing language in the UK. (Full disclosure here – I’m a Welsh learner with Duolingo myself!) Interest in independence for Wales is growing. But, to know where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve come from. Which is why Richard King’s book is such a valuable contribution to this debate. In reality her walk was the catalyst that led to more journeys. A quest to examine her identity as an English incomer. A subsequent research journey into Cymru’s language and history. An environmental pilgrimage as she considers how we arrived at this state of environmental crisis – and how we can best respond. There were families that were practically living under martial law and people think you’re exaggerating now, because they couldn’t imagine it. (Christine Powell) As a biologist, a nature writer and a kayaker Amy-Jane Beer has spent much of her life in and around water. But it was the tragic death of her friend, Kate, in a kayaking accident on the River Rawthey in Cumbria on New Year’s Day 2012 that proved to be the eventual catalyst for her to write The Flow. Watch Pete Telfer of Culture Colony’s gorgeous film (thanks to his skills and intelligent questions) about the book. Working with Pete really made me appreciate the art and craft of film-making.