Fascinating series on S4C: 'Waliau'n Siarad'

The episode from Sunday 12th January features the mysterious 'Mynachlog Fawr' house at Ystrad Fflur, built from the stone of Strata Florida Abbey. It was the seat of the Steadman Family who were related by marriage to the Powells of Nanteos and the famous 'Nanteos Cup' was kept there.

Anne, sister to Thomas and Rev William Powell, married first Richard Steadman and then the notorious 'Wicked Squire' of Lampeter, Sir Herbert Lloyd. The Steadman's got into debt and Nanteos ended up owning the estate. The house and its family feature in both The Shadow of Nanteos and The Dipping Pool and I was lucky enough to go inside in 2018. It's a real 'Marie Celeste'. The last family to live there, the Arch's seemed just to have walked out one day, closing the door behind them.

A huge, weathered, metal pilgrim strides across the hills surrounding the site and the ancient cemetery holds the grave of the poet Dafydd ap Gwilym. If you are visiting Ceredigion, the abbey and farm is one of the most fascinating and atmospheric places to be and some excellent research is being done into the ancient and more recent history of both sites.