I am delighted to be returning to the fabulous Reading the Wild Literature Festival at Llandovery, on Saturday May 9th. The festival takes place over the weekend of May 9th and 10th.
Reading the Wild
Reading The Wild brings together writers, poets and thinkers who explore the natural world through words, with readings, discussions, workshops and guided walks that connect literature with the landscape around us. The event takes place at the Castle Hotel in Llandovery.
Llandovery is on the edge of Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), and is very easy to get to from south and mid Wales, and also England (it’s around 2 hours from Bristol, Gloucester and 1.5 hours from Hereford).
Most of the sessions are taking place indoors. There are also 5 outdoor sessions and 3 free events for children.
There’s a full sized event poster at the end of this blog.
Book for my talk
My talk is Small Scale Homesteading: how to save money and increase self-sufficiency, whatever size your plot. With ever increasing prices, growing some of your own food is even more important. I’ll be explaining how to grow more edibles, including key sowing and planting times, all with an emphasis on affordability, and working with wildlife to increase biodiveristy.
I’ll also show some of the ways that you can learn the skills to use produce – whether homegrown, foraged or bought – in your larder, to make a simple apothecary, and natural home care products.
There’ll be plenty of time for your questions, and I will be signing copies of my new book The Productive Garden afterwards.
The talk is at 11:30. Tickets are £10 – book yours here. (£8 if you buy them in person beforehand at the Dragons Garden Shop.)
The Tickets
Each talk has its own beautifully designed handmade hand-printed keepsake ticket, made from up-cycled fabric. Mine is a lovely truss of tomatoes, and the gorgeous toad is for Alys Fowler’s talk Peatlands.
Unique Book Tote Bags
There are handmade hand-printed book tote bags, perfect to carry your book purchases, for sale at £8 via the website and at the festival.
A fantastic line up!
Find out who is speaking on Saturday 9th May here
Find out who is speaking on Sunday 10th May here
What to expect
Over the two day festival, you could be:
Taking part in writing workshops
Expanding your horizons with talks by authors
Experiencing guided walks exploring the stories of the land, it’s wildlife and it’s history
Being inspired by readings and discussions with authors, poets and artists
Enjoying a connection with a like-minded community in a beautiful rural setting
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The Dragon’s Garden Book Shop
Llandovery Literature Festival “Reading the Wild” is organised by Mandy Thomas, who opened her bookshop The Dragon’s Garden in Llandovery in 2023. Prior to this, Mandy had a bookshop in Llandeilo.
The shop sells a wonderful selection of books, with a particularly good range of environmental, natural history, politics, women’s writing, poetry, food, Welsh history and art. The fiction section has an excellent selection of classics and new writing, and there is a small but lovely children’s section.
Llandovery – parking, food, places to stay
Llandovery is a beautiful small town, that is steeped in history, myth and folklore. It is said to have been one of the hiding places of Tŵm Sion Cati, an outlaw often called the Welsh Robin Hood. Legends include the mystical Lady of the Lake and the healers of Myddfai.
There are plenty of places to eat in Llandovery, from a quick snack to a full meal. Here’s a list to choose from.
If you’re planning to stay in the town, accommodation options include hotels and B&Bs, glamping and camping, and other kinds of holiday accommodation. Further afield, Llandovery is approximately an hour’s drive from the completely gorgeous Ceredigion coastline, with many food and accommodation options.
There is a large car park right next to the Castle Hotel which is £1.70 for a whole day.
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