Barley Saturday, Parade of Stallions, Cardigan, West Wales

Arrive at Cardigan at 2pm on the last Saturday in April and you will be greeted by a unique sight. Crowds will be lining the streets, everyone will know each other, there will be perfect specimens of all types of horses, and vintage vehicles and farm machinery will be chugging their way along the roads. So what is going on?

Barley Saturday, Parade of Stallions, Cardigan, West Wales

On the last Saturday in April in Cardigan, an event takes place that has been a focal point of the local calendar since the latter half of the 19th century.  Horses hooves pound the streets of the town, and the smell of diesel and vintage machinery fills the air, as people line both sides of the pavements in their hundreds.    While many traditional events have died out over the years, one has remained stoically as an important part of the culture and history of Cardigan and the surrounding area, never failing in its ability to pull in the masses from the communities around Cardigan. 

With its long history, the Barley Saturday Parade is a constant, and has only bowed out a handful of times for events beyond anyone’s control.  This iconic local event has been a permanent fixture for as long as any living person can remember except for a sporadic period between the second world war and the 1960s, when the use of horses on local farms was in decline, more recently stepping aside only during times of national crisis, like the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease, which prohibited the movement of livestock, and the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, which takes place on the 30th April this year, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, has its roots in a hiring fair which had been held in late April in Cardigan since the mid 19th century.  Local farmers from the surrounding area would come to Cardigan to hire workers and inspect stallions that are put out to stud, however by the end of the 19th century, the fair had gradually become a stallion fair, with horses becoming the main attraction.  Originally called the Parade of Stallions, the day is known as Barley Saturday now, and gets its name from the fact that it has always been held on the day in April by which time the seasons crop of barley should have been sown.

At 11.30am on the last Saturday of April, the judging of various horse competitions commences, and, once the presentations have been made, the crowds gather and line the streets of Cardigan town to watch the horses make their way through the town, followed by all sorts of vehicles from a by gone era.  Cars, milk floats, tractors, carriages, and buses from local companies that many a spectator on the side of the road can probably remember travelling on to school or town.

 The parade of the town begins at the school fields and makes its way along Feidr Fair, around the castle wall, and up the High Street.  Beginning at approximately 2pm, people throng both sides of the road, so you need to get there in good time to get the best view of these beautiful horses in their show-best, groomed and preened to the nines. 

For more information on Barley Saturday, see www.facebook.com/SadwrnBarlysBarleySaturday or call 01239 841524

 With thanks to

Glen Johnson  www.glen-johnson.co.uk

Dyfed Shire Horse Farm www.dyfed-shires.co.uk

Its Snowing…!

It’s a cold day in Ceredigion today, although I suspect, not as cold as the rest of the country. We even have a few inconsequential flakes of snow! That may not seem like much to many of you, but its big news here. Not only because we have two young children, but also because we don’t really get snow.

Its true. Whenever the weather-folk predict snow to fall in tranches across our fair isle, a state of high level excitement occurs in camp Troedyrhiw. Sledges get dusted off, and cold weather gear is dug out from the echelons of the hat box. And then…nothing. Today however, it is snowing. Good, proper, fat, fluffy flakes of snow. And whats more, they are sticking! The children are in school, so we can only imagine the fever-pitch there!

Anyway, it probably won’t last long enough to build a snow-elf, never mind a snowman, so it’s a good time to start thinking of spring, which is just around the corner.

Our little corner of west Wales is the perfect place for a few nights break and is beautiful all year around, here are a couple of photos to show you Troedyrhiw Holiday Cottages and the surrounding area in all its glory, all year round.

Until next time,

Cofion Cynnes / warm wishes

Michelle and Rob

Where to eat in Cardigan

A foodies guide to Cardigan

One of the things I remember best about holidays is the meals.  Not just the food, but where we ate them, the atmosphere, the smells, the sounds. 

I can remember eating spit roast chicken on the beach in Spain with my parents like it was yesterday.  My children are the same.  Days out on holiday are defined by what they had for lunch, be it a picnic in the car in the rain, or a tasty Italian dish in the sunshine.  

If you are like me, then the meals, snacks and treats that you enjoy on holiday form a big part of the memories you take home with you, and Cardigan has no shortage of special places to help you create your own foodie memories of your holiday here.  From ice cream, to fine cuisine, pizza in a tipi, Mexican street food and locally sourced sea food, Cardigan has a diverse menu on offer.

First we eat…

“Where can we go to eat?” 

That’s probably the one question we spend the most time asking on holiday.  Something good, tasty, and affordable.  Something different to what you can find in any town.  Something that satisfies us all.  Like any family, we all want something different!    “Where can we go to eat?”  That’s also probably the one question we get asked the most by our visitors to the area too. 

For a little town, Cardigan is bursting at the seams with places to eat.  For a fabulous Italian style lunch, you can’t go far wrong with Belottis Delicatessen and café.  At the beginning of the High Street, just after the castle, Belottis offers a delicious range homemade meals, including anti-pasti, pasta, barra gallegas and coffee, ice cream and cakes too.  If you are a lover of bacon and cream, like me, the carbonara is the dish for you.  Otherwise the Italian meat platter is a feast, and one I can also personally recommend!

Belotti's

 While we are at that end of the High Street, lets not forget about the Cegin 1176, at Cardigan Castle, which offers deli takeway boxes and a tasty sit down menu in a glass walled restaurant overlooking the river and quayside from a majestic elevated position.  On the other side of the road from here, close to the quayside, hidden away behind an archway absolutely covered in ivy, is a personal favourite destination of ours, the Pizza Tipi.  Nowhere in the UK could make you feel more like you are abroad than this place!  Outside seating, right on the rivers edge, or under the shelter of the giant tipi, around open fires, breathing in the warm, smoky aromas of pizzas cooking in wood fired ovens, time seems to lose its meaning here.  Your doggy friends are very welcome here, and this is a lovely place to kick back and chill out with a cold drink on a sunny evening.  Oh, and the pizzas are amazing too! 

Pizza Tipi

 Right at the other end of the High Street, you will find Food for Thought café, a homely café with an extensive lunchtime menu, including omelettes, savoury pancakes, sandwiches and hot meals, as well as wonderful homemade cakes and, my personal favourite, Teapigs tea.  Loads of seating, in a quirky and cosy environment, as well as kerbside seating.  Just up from here, La Fontana is your destination for delicious ice creams and snacks for either take away or eat in.  They offer a delicious dairy free hot chocolate too. 

Cardigan Bay Brownies, right in the middle of the high street are masters in the art of the brownie, with more divine varieties than you could shake a stick at, all package conveniently in boxes for you to bring back for tea, or for your picnic.  Directly opposite there, you can find Truly Scumptious, who make a wide range of sweet treats, including macaroons and other tasty delights, and also take away lunches.  Also in the middle of town, you’ll find Taste the Bay, a newly opened take away offering a mouthwatering array of salad boxes and sandwiches comprising local ham and locally sourced sea food, perfect for your picnic.  If you prefer to make your own packed lunch, Queens Bakery, Bara Menyn and Crwst are all wonderful little local bakers with a range of traditional and artisan breads guaranteed to put you into carb overload!  Get there early though, when its gone, its gone!

The aforementioned Crwst also have a seating area for you to consume their delicious lunches, and if you’re there, it would really be rather rude not to try one of their yummy donuts, or other sweet plates of deliciousness! 

Crwst Cafe

 Hiding away in a car park at the lower end of town, is El Salsa, a casual cantina style barn with unique Mexican décor and Mexican street food that is making my mouth water just to write about it.  Tacos, burritos and nachos, paired with a cocktail in the sun.  What could be better?  Tucked away in the corner of a different car park, overlooking the river Teifi, is the Fishermans Rest, where the catch of the day is turned into wholesome and tasty chowder, fishcakes and more. 

If you like a steak, don’t miss The Copper Pot.  On the high street, The Copper Pot has tasteful indoor seating. And a hidden secret garden for outdoor dining, where you can enjoy a cocktail in the sun before devouring a divine meal.  Our personal favourite is the highly recommended Delmonico steak from local high class butcher, Tom Samways, cooked in garlic butter, with fries coated in Maldon sea salt and parsley. 

Yr Hen Printworks, so named as it occupies in the newly renovated newspaper press, offers small plates, great for sharing in a tapas style.  Each one a taste sensation, the menu here is unique and creative, the atmosphere is casual and cosy, and the cocktails are superb.

Yr Hen Printworks

 On a sunny day you might prefer fish and chips on the beach, and there are several very good fish and chip shops to choose from also, all of which we can vouch for!  In Cardigan town itself, you will find Cardigan Arms and Pendre, or further afield, Mor Ffein in St Dogmaels and Taten Eirw in Blaenporth come with our taste test stamp of approval!

If you are looking for somewhere to eat out of town, there are sea and river views from the Teifi Waterside waterfront restaurant and The Ferry pub in St Dogmaels, The Flat Rock and the Carreg Restaurant at the Cliff Hotel at Gwbert, and The Ship at Tresaith, all of which offer very good pub food, or you could try The Nags Head at Abercych for tasty homecooked pub food.

And that, as they say, is a wrap, as it is now lunchtime and all this talk of food has made me hungry!  

The sun still shines

Finally, a beautiful frosty day in our little valley. Long overdue after weeks of rain, at a time where the last thing we need are grey skies, it put me in mind of one of my favourite Welsh sayings. “Daw haul eto ar fryn” or the sun will come again on the hills, is a beautiful and poetic sentiment for the world in which we find ourselves these last few months.

It's awful odd here these days without our lovely guests too share this beauty with, but we have to keep moving forward. As Annie says “the sun'll come out tomorrow". We hope….

www.troedyrhiw.com