Cwm Pennant Bluebells

‘Pam, Arglwydd, y gwnaethost Gwm Pennant mor dlws? A bywyd hen fugail mor fyr?’ 

Wales is a land of poets, and these words are taken from the poem ‘Cwm Pennant’ written by the poet Eifion Wyn who grew up in the area. They translate as ‘Lord, why did you make Cwm Pennant so beautiful and the life of a shepherd so short?’ Anyone visiting the valley can see why it’s been described as the most beautiful valley in Wales. 

Almost a month ago, we visited Cwm Pennant for the first time; today we return to catch the bluebells just before they fade. Last time, whilst we were stunned by the valley’s beauty, we were disappointed by the fact the bluebells were little more than shoots breaking through the surface, but over the last few weeks they’ve blossomed into carpets of blue-mauve. 

We’ve been trying to return for the last 10 days, but either weather or schedules have thwarted us. Today we have the time and the weather gods are with us, so we head off early, reaching the valley before 9.00am - and it is stunningly beautiful. Whilst the Lake District’s Rannerdale bluebells are famous, people flocking to see them, Cwm Pennant’s remain relatively secret. Most people drive past the valley and it’s reached by a single track road across gated bridges, eventually through farm land where there’s an honesty box to collect the £3.00 parking charge to stop by an old stone barn at the head of the valley. We have all the beauty to ourselves, joined later by two other cars. 

We wander along the tracks through the swathes of bluebells, up onto the hills and along the valley. At every point the views are glorious, enhanced by the purple haze of bluebells. The colours are so vibrant - G says he feels it’s like looking at everything through polarised lenses.  And everywhere there’s birdsong, so rich it’s hard to distinguish one bird from another  - wrens, skylarks, warblers. I’m hoping we might see a whitethroat or a wheatear, both of which we saw on our last visit, but the birds insist on hiding today. Perhaps it’s just as well, as there’s just so much to photograph already. 

Of course there is a set today - I just can’t limit myself to one or two!