Our Sacred Hills: Heritage in the Landscape

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The Windmilling of Wales - When will it Stop?

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There can be no doubt that our environment and the landscape of Wales is as much an important part of our heritage as are the sites of important historic events and our material culture. Such was brought to our attention of late by a letter in the Western Mail from Dr John Etherington on the issue of the ‘Windmilling of Wales’ – Industrialisation of the landscape. In his letter, he pointed out that to build a huge ‘Windmill Factory’ on the Pumlumon range, the five summits of the Mabinogion and the landscape of Arthur, Bedwyr and Cai is nothing less than a sacrilege; and let us not forget that it was also on Pumlumon, of Course, in May of 1401 that Prince Owain Glyndŵr called his Assembly of the 'Barwniaid of Cymru' to make Covenant with him to seek, through struggle, the independence of Wales.

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Reasons enough in themselves for us to scream "leave our heritage alone" but there are also a number of significant "esoteric" reasons as to why the Pumlumon range should be regarded as our 'sacred mountains' - in much the same way that the Sioux regarded the Black hills of Dakota as sacred. Who amongst us is not aware of the fact that American seekers of gold plundered and desecrated the Black hills, an issue which sparked off the last Great War of the “Plains Indians”. Sadly, we know where that led to, yes, victory at the Little Big Horn initially but then, the Massacre of Wounded Knee. Like the Black Hills, the Pumlumon mountains, in the past, have been plundered, desecrated and scarred by the mining for lead and now, they are to be similarly ravaged by the intrusion of alien looking useless metal windmills upon the landscape. The Pumlumon Mountains are the source of the Afon Hafren/River Severn of the Celtic Goddess Hafren aka Sabrina to the Romans, thus indeed sacred waters flow from these mountains to make the greatest of our rivers. A river that many years ago was long the boundary between Brythonic Cymry and Saxons, before the final Mercian onslaught from the East that caused to arise Offa's great Dyke.
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The argument that has been peddled is that these windmills will bring economic advantages to the communities they colonise but, this is more and more being disproved. Then, flippantly, the point is made that in previous centuries the landscape was full of signal towers but, that was not true of Wales apart from some coastal areas. Next shot across the bow is that we have put up with power pylons for years and that at least windmills are more aesethetically beautiful! really, in whose eyes may we ask?
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Yes, the Middle Ages was a time for wind and water mill power but, Prince Owain and his ‘Barefoot Welsh Doggis’ made short shrift of them, knowing, even then, that they were largely to the economic advantage of the foriegn colonialists so, the question begs to be asked again now, in whose greater interest are these wind mills today?
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We feel, that opponents to wind mills are winning the moral and righteuos argument - especially as put forward by Dr Etherington, but still they appear, in their multiples! It has lately come to our attention that windmills are now parking themselves in the hills of 'Rhyfel y Sais Bach' in Ceredigion and soon will desecrate Abergwesyn - a site of ancient celtic water goddesses such as ‘Aerfen’. Prince Owain will not be pleased about that! Taking all into consideration, we at Embassy Glyndŵr can only view these wind mills as being as much a problem as unnecessary housing developments, golf courses, roads and open cast mining developments.

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We feel that there is a strong enough case for 'Landscape Heritage' to also be a matter for ‘Tarian Glyndŵr’ concern and should be incorporated into the Tarian Glyndŵr Campaign. We now request that Pobl Glyndŵr consider these matters and let us have their views and opinions. Also, please inform us of sites of interest that you think that ‘Tarian Glyndŵr’ should be concerned about .

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Please let us know if you have a particular interest in playing an active part in the ‘Antur Tarian Glyndŵr’ Campaign. We welcome all contributions to this matter of national importance. If you do have information on local heritage areas under threat, please send us full information and, where possible, please send relevant photos for our data base. Last but not least support local Anti - Windmill Protest Groups. The Ramblers are very proactive in leading the way on this issue of such grave concern to Cymru.

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G.Gruffydd.