29 leaps to look out for at Beyond the Border Festival

It’s a Leap Year and we’ve asked our team at BtB to suggest 29 tips to look out for at Beyond the Border 2020 at our new location at National Trust, Dinefwr. Discover walks, history as well as some of the hidden places in this unique parkland nature reserve; as well as some of some of the team highlights for the programme in 2020. BIG BREATH…HERE’S OUR TOP 29:

1. Hidden deep within the woods you can find Llandyfeisant Church rebuilt in the 19^th century but with medieval origins.
2. Did I just see something move? Dinefwr is home to many of Britain’s most elusive mammals; some of which people live a lifetime without spotting, like otter, pole cat, voles, fallow deer and badgers.
3. Spot the migrating birds at the Mill Pond amongst others the Pied Flycatcher and the red Start.
4. Lose yourself in the magical woodland, a tree that asks for wishes to be placed within it, a circle of protective Beech and listen for the tears of the Ash all watched over by the wise Oak watching us for over 700 years.
5. Stories for all ages – a packed programme, from parental advisory content strictly for grown ups, to tiny tales and lullabies for little ones with every point in between!
6. Film screenings!
   
7. Look out for the Splendid Stag who likes to hang out above the Deer House one of the 100 Fallow Deer that roam through Dinefwr.
8. Grab yourself a headset on site and join us Silent Celidh versus disco tracks!!
9. Look out for the White Park Cattle whose grazing techniques is part of the conservation of flower rich meadows because the way cows graze provides habitat for bees and other pollinating insects.
10. A thousand pathways, some more used than others, travel through the Park and each offers magical discoveries, look for the Pigeon House, the Bogwood Boardwalk, the Gamekeepers cottage, the Pump House, a Roman Fort.
11. Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita – this stellar duo inspire audiences across the world with their soaring music, blending classical harp and the kora, a 22-stringed West African harp.
12. Cymraeg! We’ve teamed up with Menter Iaith Bro Dinefwr to offer a programme of songs, stories and sessions for Welsh speakers and listeners of all levels of abilities to leaners and first timers to Wales.
13. Back to the Future! Our Reimagining Our Futures theme includes sci-fi storytelling, ancient legends of universal parallels, story experiments, science and mythology mashups, and much more besides!
14. Delve into a special feature of Canadian artists, including the astonishing and wonderful award-winning Ivan Coyote described by Ottowa Press as “to Canadian literature what KD Lang is to country music: a beautifully odd fixture.”
15. Truths cloaked in stories and stories steeped in truth – stories told for hundreds of years and stories which could only be happening at this very moment through your very own imagination!
16. Spot the New Voices! A special feature on fresh new voices, including artists making their first ever visit to Beyond the Border as well as others stepping up to tell longer stories for the first time.
17. Story roaming in the depths of the beech woods, with storytellers and rangers sharing folklore of the trees and plants, as well epic legends from across Wales and the World
18. Women Who Gave No F***s, two teams slam down the stories, you vote! Stories of women wielding wit, brains, cunning, courage, righteous rage and the occasional superpower!
19. Stay over on our campsite and experience the seeing the stars and consolations in the open night skies. Keep an eye out for a special event to be announced.
20. Watch out for the badgers. Dinefwr’s badger set are situated in the deciduous forest. Hidden in a wooden hide, just above the set, you can watch as they come out in the early evening.
21. Take a walk off site and visit the picturesque town of Llandelio which is home to some wonderful independent traders and also some well-known companies including Toast, Wrights Emporium and Heavenly Cakes (Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers).
22. There are a few local myths and legends which talk about the White Park Cattle and the legend of the Lady of the Lake and the famous Physicians of Myddfai.
23. Bring your wellies. There is a walking trail around the woodland, which was designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown when he visited Dinefwr in 1775.
24. The landscape was designed by a married couple. Lady Cecil and her husband, George Rice married in 1756, and almost immediately they set about transforming Dinefwr. Gone were the traditional formal gardens of the 1600s; in their place a majestic naturalistic landscape. Cecil and George were influenced by Capability Brown, as so many were, but instead of getting the man himself to design their landscape they did it themselves.
25. Families we have a programme for the very young to the not so young. We even have a few bedtime stories planned.
26. During the WWII Newton House was a military hospital looking after wounded soldiers. While the men were away the land girls looked after the wounded and worked the land.
27. Head over to Dinefwr Castle and see the remains of one of Wales’ strong holds English. In the 12th century, the fortress was in the possession of Rhys ap Gruffydd, ruler of the ancient south Wales kingdom of Deheubarth. Dinefwr eventually fell into English control in 1287 and remained there for centuries, despite Owain Glyndŵr’s attempt to wrest it back during his uprising of 1403. (cited Cadw website).
    
28. See if you can spot where two Roman forts may have been on this site.
29. Can you see the spectacular castle at Carreg Cennen as you enter Llandeilo? Its about four miles away to the south. It is not visible from Dynefwr, but Dryslwyn Castlecan just be seen on a hill blocking the Tywi valley to the south-west.