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Welsh Wonders
From mysterious prehistoric sites to grand cathedrals, Wales is full of sacred sites
It’s not surprising that a country that has a dragon as its national symbol is full of places that exude mystery and magic. Wales — one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom — is a fascinating destination for anyone interested in spiritual sites.
On a recent trip I was fortunate to visit some of these with my friend Jenifer Brenner, a native of Chicago who’s lived in Wales for several decades. “Wales is the Cinderella of the British Isles, often overlooked and underappreciated,” Brenner said. “It’s mostly mountainous in its interior, and since the decline of coal and slate mining, it doesn’t have much large-scale industry. But what it does have is soul. For many centuries it’s been a land of poets, musicians and mystics.”
With a shared love for exploring sacred sites, Brenner and I spent two weeks visiting a mix of prehistoric and Christian sites scattered around the perimeter of the country. We began in northeast Wales at St. Winefride’s Well, which is the oldest continuously visited pilgrimage site in Britain. The shrine is associated with a 7th-century story about a young woman who was restored to life after being killed by a local prince. Winefride became a nun, and after her death was proclaimed a saint.
Tucked into the side of a hill in the town of Holywell, the picturesque shrine includes a 15th-century church atop a bubbling spring. After flowing into a star-shaped basin, the water is channeled into an outdoor pool where people bathe in search of healing (though many just dip their hands and feet, since the water is very cold). An adjacent museum gives background on the shrine’s history and its stories of healing miracles.
Very early the next morning, we visited the next site on our list: Bryn Celli Ddu, a Neolithic burial chamber set in the rural countryside of Anglesey Island. We’d timed our visit to coincide with the summer solstice, when local druids and curious tourists gather for a ceremony that’s the Welsh equivalent of the modern-day rituals at Stonehenge. Bryn Celli Ddu is an appropriate place for such a ritual because its burial chamber is aligned so that the rising sun on the summer solstice pierces to its center.
The cloudy weather didn’t cooperate, unfortunately, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 200 or so people who had gathered to greet the dawn. “Whether or not we see the sun’s rays enter the mound, we come here to celebrate the sacred cycles of the earth,” said worship leader Kristoffer Hughes, chief of the Anglesey Druid Order. “We follow in the footsteps of all the people who have come to this spot for millennia to mark the solstice.”
Though a little bleary-eyed from getting up so early, we next crossed the Menai Strait and drove to the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, where we boarded a ferry at Porth Meudwy that took us to Bardsey Island (known as Ynys Enli in Welsh). Just 1.5 miles long and a half-mile at its widest, Bardsey has been a place of Christian pilgrimage since the early medieval period. It’s also said to be the Isle of Avalon from the King Arthur stories, and that Merlin the wizard sleeps somewhere on the island.
With just a handful of permanent residents, Bardsey is a place for quiet reflection and communion with nature. The high cliffs on its east side are home to thousands of birds, including rare puffins, whose orange beaks make them look like cartoon characters. Bardsey also has the remains of a 13th-century abbey, a modern-day church, and a small settlement that houses guests by the week. Though we were there just for the day, I fell in love with the island’s serenity and beauty.
A half-day’s drive brought us to the remarkably beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast, whose rocky shoreline is swept by waves from the Irish Sea. There we visited the mysterious Pentre Ifan, a 5,000-year-old monument that is one of the iconic symbols of Wales. Pentre Ifan’s horizontal capstone, its famous “floating stone,” weighs more than 35,000 pounds. The stone is delicately perched eight feet in the air atop three tall, pointed upright stones, an amazing feat given when it was built.
Equally intriguing is that the monument provides a perfect frame for the Preseli Hills in the distance. These craggy hills were the source of the bluestones that were used to build Stonehenge in southern England, suggesting that the two monuments are somehow linked.
Thirty miles down the coast we visited one of the prominent sacred landmarks in Wales: St. Davids Cathedral, which sits in a wooded valley of the River Alun. The cathedral is named for the patron saint of Wales, who was born there around the year 500. The building, which was begun in 1181, stands on the site of a monastery founded by David. Today it is part of the Anglican Church of Wales and hosts services open to everyone. Behind the church are the ruins of the medieval Bishop’s Palace, which once sheltered royal pilgrims and other distinguished guests.
South of St. Davids Cathedral we stopped at St. Govan’s Chapel, a tiny stone building that clings to the side of a cliff overlooking the sea. Named for St. Govan, a 5th-century Celtic saint, it also has associations with Sir Gawain from King Arthur’s court. In keeping with the quirky nature of so much of Wales, the number of steps to the chapel is said to be different each time it’s walked.
Finally, we ended our trip at Tintern Abbey, the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a medieval monastery that have inspired artists, poets and travelers for centuries. The abbey, which sits on the bank of the River Wye, was founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks. After King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538, the abbey fell into disrepair, only to be rediscovered in the 18th century by a new generation of pilgrims, this time by those in search of beauty. They include William Wordsworth, who wrote “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” during a visit here in 1798, and artist J.M.W. Turner, whose watercolors of the ruins helped make them famous across Europe.
Tintern Abbey was a fitting place to end our sacred circle tour of Wales. Knowing there were many holy sites I’d missed, I’m already making plans to return to this mystical land of stories, songs and spirit.
If you go
How to get there: Fly into the Manchester Airport, which is located just across the Welsh border in England. You will need to rent a car to reach these sites. Welsh roads are often narrow and winding, and driving is on the left side. The route outlined here is about 650 miles.
Where to stay: Accommodations are easily found in nearby towns and villages.
For more information: visit VisitWales.com/en-us
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