If you’ve read my “Driving Through Wales, UK” you know the place is gorgeous although difficult to fully appreciate while traveling the crazy roads through that countryside. What you do not yet know is what lies at the end of that road that twists and turns to the coast where Wales meets the Irish Sea.
In January 2014, storms off the west coast of Wales unburied a Bronze Age forest that dates back 6,000 years. While old Welsh legends have mentioned a land lost under rising seas, it was not until the storms washed away centuries of sand and peat that there was evidence of truth to those legends. If you’ve read my Jevic series, you can understand why I have a particular interest in any opportunity to prove there is more to the stories we too easily dismiss as “legend” or “fairy tales.” These tales do not survive centuries without some element of truth.
Made up of mostly oak and pine, this mysterious forest was featured in a National Geographic article a month after the stumps of hundreds of trees rose from the dead. The peat and lack of oxygen had preserved these trees perfectly. And when we visited two and a half years later, we could still see the wood grain and the knotted roots for ourselves. Unfortunately, the tree stumps are now totally exposed to the elements and locals occasionally find pieces that have broken free washed up the beach.
Our gracious hosts Phil and Rona at the York House B&B were experts on the subject and had even been interviewed by media about these amazing tree stumps that just appeared on the beach in front of their home. Some believe this forest grew on a piece of land that once stretched 20 miles to the west of the current coastline. Could it be that Wales had its own lost city of Atlantis? I’m a believer!
This stretch of coastline was once renowned for its beautiful sand dunes, but I didn’t make it to the dunes. I had two hours time on either side of low tide when the trees were receiving visitors on the beach. I’ve shared some of those shots are here, but the photos taken right after they were uncovered are definitely more impressive. The large dark clumps on the sand are actually roots and stumps packed in peat…basically, it’s the old forest floor. The shifting sands and sea do not always share what’s left as openly as they did when they were first exposed.
Once again…we have proof that there is much more to this world than meets the eye. Keep those minds and eyes open. You never know what it may decide to share with you!
Check out this article in Daily Mail where they have amazing images like the one below.
Lisa Popp 