Good and Plentiful
/The following blog was written by Gloria, a guest at our Llandrindod Wells event.
Being frequent visitors to wonderful Wales, we decided to add yet another Strolls and Stories to our latest trip. This one was a weekend with Jan Little in Llandrindod Wells staying overnight Friday and Saturday at the Metropole Hotel.
Jan met us at the hotel and introduced us around, helped us get familiar with the layout of the hotel, checked our room was good, etc. She is such a warm, accepting person, detail orientated and was making sure all our needs were met. I have to say that the hotel was easily accessible in the heart of Llandrindod Wells and the food was excellent and plentiful.
Our first evening, Jan gave us a little background on the town that would help with the enjoyment and understanding of the history and stories that were to follow the next day. She had even checked out extra tourist opportunities in the area, for example, the Cycle Museum which was a very interesting visit.
After breakfast (which was also good and plentiful), we set off in blue sky, sunshine and warmth with Jan making sure we had sunblock, hats etc. Starting off in the town, we were soon in the hills and valleys and it seemed that at every turn there was something new and unexpected… like a lake with a dragon fountain and dragon peddle boats!
The ensuing views were stupendous and ever changing. From the hilltops we could see little peeks of very old, small churches which disappeared from view then reappeared like magic and eventually we got to go into the church. Outside the church, Jan gave us a story and made the history of this church and surrounding area come alive. She becomes one with the character yet keeps in mind the comfort of her audience. For example, we had a little shower and she made sure we were under cover of the huge trees and sitting comfortably on logs to listen and become ourselves part of the story.
The weather forecast for the next day was horrendous, so Jan was adding a little of the next day’s stories on the way back down to this one which was a wonderful, thoughtful idea. On the home stretch, we came back to the lake with the dragon boats and sat outdoors with a coffee/herbal tea before heading back to the hotel for a shower, a little relaxation and to get ready for dinner. Also good and plentiful!
Next day dawned as forecast but off we set complete with rain gear and Jan again was thoughtful about changing routes to avoid slippery paths and finding sheltered yet still very appropriate routes in keeping with the history and stories. I am always amazed how she gets us to really feel her stories and characters, seesawing from laughter to tears and back. Walking through forests (which helped keep us dry!) we found trees with “faces” and, of course, the Llandiddies.
