Cwmhiraeth
A hundred years ago this was a busy industrial village. There were mills and weaving shops at Frondeg, Glanrhyd, Pantglas, Glandwr and Dinas Fach downstream. The village takes its name from the former Common, called Hiraeth, that was up on the hill top. If you take the trail across to Felindre you'll notice the straight hedgelines and regular fields created by the 19th century enclosure of the Common. More recently this beautiful valley was called 'Valley of the Birds'. Just look at your map and see how many places - and the river - are named after birds.
Across the valley lies Pant-yr-Efail farm, the birthplace (1683) of Gruffudd Jones, the famous preacher and founder of the Welsh Circulating Schools.
Head south and west and walk along Lon Gypsies, where the traditional Romany practice of burning a dead gypsy's caravan is still remembered locally. Lon Gypsies meets the old mountain road (now the B4333) at Bwlchydomen. It was no easy journey to cross the hills between the Tywi valley and the Teifi.
The earthern castle mound of `Tomen Seba' was once a lonely outpost guarding the southern flanks of the mediaeval Lordship of Newcastle Emlyn. In later times the roads and tracks were used by Drovers moving their cattle, or local farmers carting lime to fertilize their fields. They were among the many infuriated by the high tolls charged on these roads - until one February night in 1843 when the tollgate at Bwlchydomen was attacked and burnt by `Rebecca' and her followers.
