31st March 2026 - Bunting and Brambles - And Mwnt

Thought for the day ; "Michael Caine was asked to make a list of the best bands of the 1960's. He's only gone and left the bloody Doors off."

Dry

Today Susie cleared the rest of the Brambles from the Temple of Doris azaleas and clearing the dead wood from the Rhododendrons.  

I spent a fair time putting out the street lights and the bunting along the road  

Susie has finished five of the new banners which will go up tomorrow or Thursday - Chris is with me tomorrow for more wood clearance and setting fires.

Cider Ordered, Beer Ordered, Lyme Bay not needed - have sufficient stock for that.

Need change - am out of cash for the first time in a long time so may have to get some out of the bank.

 

In other news,  decided to put together a few local trip examples - will transfer them later to a new document - but as I see them I will add to the blog .. 

This will be the first - Mwnt 

Places to Visit near the Crimson Moon - Mwnt

Perched above a quiet sweep of sand and sea, the Church of the Holy Cross at Mwnt tells a story that stretches back far beyond its humble stone walls. This small sanctuary is a classic example of a medieval “chapel of ease”, a place of worship built for those who lived too far from the main parish church, including the sailors who once navigated these rugged Welsh shores. Yet its roots run deeper still, with tradition suggesting the site has been sacred since the Age of the Saints, when early Celtic Christianity spread along the western fringes of Britain.

The building we see today likely dates from the 14th Century, but inside it holds a much older treasure, a font carved from Preseli stone, dating back to the 12th or 13th century. This same distinctive stone, quarried from the Preseli Hills, is famously linked to the bluestones of Stonehenge, a reminder that this quiet chapel shares a material heritage with one of the world’s most iconic prehistoric sites.

The church’s dedication to the Holy Cross is thought to echo a striking local tradition. High above, on the summit of Foel y Mwnt, the steep, conical hill rising behind the church, once stood a tall stone cross. In an age before printed books or widespread literacy, such crosses served as powerful visual symbols of faith. They marked places of preaching, gathering, and pilgrimage, and this one would have been visible for miles out at sea. Sailors and pilgrims alike were drawn toward it, beaching their boats on the sands below before climbing up to this place of devotion.

Lime Kiln

Mwnt Beach

Mwnt’s reputation in early Christian Britain grew so strong that it became a stopping point for the bodies of saints on their final journey to Bardsey Island, a sacred destination often called the “Island of 20,000 Saints.” Pilgrims traveling onward to St David’s would also pause here, making Mwnt part of a wider spiritual network that connected some of the most important religious sites in medieval Wales.

But the story of Mwnt is not only one of peace and pilgrimage. In 1155, its shores became the scene of conflict when Flemish soldiers landed nearby. They were met by local Welsh forces, and a fierce battle followed. The invaders were driven back, and for generations afterward, traces of that clash lingered in the landscape. Skeletons uncovered by ploughing near the churchyard are believed to be those of fallen soldiers, while a nearby stream still carries the evocative name Nant y Fflymon, “the Flemings’ Brook”, quietly preserving the memory of that long ago struggle.

Over the centuries, Mwnt itself evolved from an independent civil parish into a chapelry linked to Llangoedmor, and later became part of Y Ferwig in 1934. The church endured the passage of time, undergoing restoration in 1853 and again after storm damage in 1917, testament to the harsh coastal weather that shapes this landscape.

Even in recent years, the resilience of this place has been clear. After a devastating act of vandalism in December 2021, support poured in from across the world. Within days, an international fundraising effort raised £20,000, ensuring that the Church of the Holy Cross, this small but remarkable witness to centuries of faith, conflict, and community, could continue to stand watch over the sea.

Cheers