Walk the Iolo trail
New walking trails have been mapped
out to help you walk in the footsteps of one of the Vale of
Glamorgan's most colourful characters, Iolo Morganwg
(1747–1826).
Iolo was an architect of the Welsh nation on the strength
of his contribution to the eighteenth century cultural renaissance
of Wales. His legacy lives on today, not least through his creation
the Gorsedd of the Bards, which is an integral part of the National
Eisteddfod of Wales, Wales’s biggest cultural festival.
Born
Edward Williams, he was better known by his bardic name Iolo
Morganwg. A stonemason by trade, he was also a romantic poet, a
literary and historical forger, a political radical, a humanitarian
and the most extraordinary and colourful character ever to have
lived in the Vale of Glamorgan.
This Iolo Morganwg trail has been created to guide you around
the beautiful Vale whilst celebrating Iolo, and helping
you to learn more about this extraordinary figure.
- Enjoy Iolo’s
circular walk - 6.5 miles/10.5km from Cowbridge. Download and
print the map for more information about the trail.
- Explore Iolo’s wider
trail - a journey to seven beautiful sites relating to his
life in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Walking trail booklets are also free to pick up from Cowbridge
and Barry Libraries and from the Creative Rural Communities Offices
at Cowbridge Old Hall, High Street, Cowbridge. We hope that you
enjoy walking the trails. We are now developing more walking trails
throughout the rural Vale and details will be available soon. Watch
this space!
Music Clip
A recording of Iolo’s Stonecutter’s
song sung by Dr Ffion Mair Jones.
Video Clip
Film footage about Iolo Morganwg from the BBC’s
History of Wales series.