New Preseli Visitor Centre -- work commences

 The new Visitor Centre at Tafarn y Bwlch will be located just off the bottom right of the photo.

Back in 2008 local businessman Mr Llew Rees obtained planning permission from the Pembs Coast National Park for the building of a new Visitor Centre at Tafarn y Bwlch, adjacent to the cattle grid on the north side of Mynydd Presely, where the Newport road branches off the B 4329.

This is a fantastic site -- exactly where I would have built a Visitor Centre had I been 40 years younger and somewhat wealthier.  So -- the best of luck to Mr Rees, and all credit to him for being prepared to invest in the local community and to provide something for which there will certainly be a great demand.  There will be a 60-seat cafe, educational facilities, toilet facilities, an information display, tourist information point, with extensive car parking and maybe a depot for mountain bike hire etc.  You can walk straight out of the site onto the common, with the northern flank of Preseli opening up in front of you.  The old farmhouse (somewhat ruinous) will be converted for use by the site manager and his family, and the newer buildings will go to the NE of the farm, near a realigned entrance from the road.  You can see the plans on the National Park web site -- look for Application 07/600 (2008).

Just to the north of the site are the standing stones of Waun Mawn, and Craig Rhosyfelin is less than 4 km away, past the village of Brynberian.  Then we have the Bedd yr Afanc chambered cairn and other glacial and archaeological features galore.......  I can already see the student field parties lining up to use the facilities here!

The recession has caused the project te remain in cold storage from 2008 until now -- but now work has started, and we can already see some of the details emerging.  The landscaping work already looks impressive -- I'll shortly post some photos.