Taking A Trip Through The Nant-Yr-Aber
Ladies and Gentlemen, As we begin Part 5, we return once again to the Pont-Y-Pandy woodlands this time to Nant-Yr-Aber, a secluded stretch of waterway below the Pont-Y-Pandy woodlands. What started as a simple river walk quickly turned into one of the most eye-opening moments of the rewilding journey revealing new risks, new questions, and a new direction for Lunacare Cymru’s research. I was joined that day by a fellow photography enthusiast, and while we were out to document nature, I was also using the opportunity to practice videomaking. This was part of my learning process developing the skills to capture not just visuals, but stories. What we found, though, turned practice into purpose. The river appeared clear at first a sign that the earlier cleansing had made some difference. But as we moved further along, things changed. Needles, antisocial damage, unstable embankments, and signs of escalating flood risk began to show. At the same time, facemasks had just begun appearing an eerie signal that something larger was on the horizon: the looming COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this same exploration that we began to understand the full scale of the shopping trolleys embedded in the riverways. The realisation hit hard had all this debris continued downstream, the environmental damage could have been irreversible. It was a daunting experience, but a necessary one. From this point, we started planning ways to measure water levels, document history, and prevent further collapse. We recognised that saving this landscape would take hands-on work, long-term vision, and funding far beyond anything we originally imagined. That day, Nant-Yr-Aber didn’t just reveal danger. It revealed the growing urgency to protect these spaces now, before the damage becomes permanent.
And so Ladies and Gentlemen, Until the next time… Take care.
Michael “Druid” Thomas
Lunacare Cymru | Media – Blog
