Following a few days of vague but worrying rumours it seems that plans are afoot to build on the field below Llandaff Cathedral. Now of course I have a vested interest in this matter, because if such plans were to become a reality that would, at a stroke, forever rule out the possibility of any future Llandaff Ghost Walks because (for those of you unfamiliar with the Llandaff Ghost Walk) the meadow, its history, and its surrounding lanes and footpaths are fundamental to the walk. The meadow and its perimeter pathways are packed with history, legend and ghost stories which go back centuries. A palace once stood there, rumour has it the dead were once buried there and a witch once lived there, and inexplicable sightings and sensations are frequent: vivid and powerful, night and day. Last Saturday’s ghost walk was a classic example of that. However, there is so much more. Whether or not they believe in ghosts, people from all over the world who take part in the walks are astonished that right here in a capital city, we have something that makes you feel you are absolutely in the middle of an ancient forgotten rural landscape whose atmosphere can be captivating. Not only that, depending on the time of year, at night we are walking among owls, foxes, hedgehogs, toads and, of course, bats aplenty so it is a rich natural haven. How ironic that last Saturday’s walk was an all too infrequent example when the urban world really did seem to fall silent, but it was golden - as we walked there were periods when we just had the crackling of twigs and the hooting of owls and it became timeless when the ghost stories were being told. How ironic also that this news surfaces on the week I did the walk equipped, for the first time with GPS enabled sonar equipment to help the Cardiff Bat Group monitor one of the rarer bats in Britain which has been discovered, bafflingly, swarming along the ghost walk route. Whatever happens to the ghost walk (and I have always been aware that it will be a time limited opportunity), this place is the most enormous asset to Cardiff and, like Llandaff as a whole, is hugely underrated and overlooked. In these awful modern times, it is a timeless place of natural sounds, sights and smells as well as spiritual intrigue. Watch this space please, and share. I will be working with the Llandaff Society to fight any proposals and will be grateful for any support from anyone who shares the value in which I hold this place. I will update you on how can join in. walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/row-over-plans-sports-ground-5839874
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 06:14:37 +0000
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