Village of Pumpsaint. the pub on the left is the national Trust Dolaucothi arms which the tenants played a leading role in securing its future with grants and also a purpose. If your passing i can recommend the food!
Friday night and it was a good evening. Pub, good food, good company and renewable energy (yes i am sad). I was down in the village of Pumpsaint near Llandeilo for a meeting with a team of successful National Trust agricultural tenants who already have a track record of working together on high quality product. (Dolaucothi Lamb) I was down with Rhys Lloyd the NTs Farm and countryside adviser to talk ‘renewables’ Everything from shed mounted PV, group buying of energy through to a possible community energy scheme. It was a good evening and we have a plan of a plan. The next step is to scope and see where the opportunities lie in terms of the ‘doing’ I had spent a few hours a month or so ago with Arwyn one of the tenants on an initial look see and had a nice list of possible projects. The Romans then got in the way! 2000 years of gold mining have left a wealth of archaeology… forts, leats and quarrying (all of which were right smack in the middle of the initial proposals. Oh well.)
I had arrived a few hours early and so went a prospecting. (not for gold but energy…the renewable type!) The National Trust have a gold mine in Dolaucothi (no longer working!) which is visitor draw but also has an energy challenge both in efficiency and in generation. This is on the list but that’s another blog!
Dolaucothi Gold mine. From the Romans through to the C20 Dolaucothi has been the site of the pursuit of gold and all have left their mark.
