Compact Wales: On the Trail of the Welsh Drovers

Author: Twm Elias

ISBN: 9781845242824

Publication Date: 11 July 2018

Publisher: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch

Format: Paperback, 150x155 mm, 128 pages

Language: English

Before the coming of the railways the only method of moving cattle, sheep and even geese to distant markets was to walk them. The drovers were the men who undertook that task; an occupation which required toughness, considerable skill in handling people and animals, and a good business head.

The following has been provided by the Publisher:

Author Biography:

Twm Elias, reared on a mountain farm with a number of drovers in his own family pedigree, has run walking courses on the theme: Drovers and Drovers’ Roads at Plas Tan y Bwlch (Snowdonia National Park Centre) for over 35 years. During that time he has gathered a great deal of information and especially stories and anecdotes which bring the drovers and their exploits alive.

Further Information:

They also transmitted messages, news, ideas and folk tunes from one part of the country to another. It's difficult to perceive today the challenges of walking a drove of up to 200 cattle from Pembrokeshire to Kent or over a thousand sheep from Gwynedd to Essex. But that would not have been the end of the story. The drover, having sold his drove, would now have to bring the sales money home safely. There are some very dramatic accounts of encounters with thieves and highway robbers. The drovers, however, were professionals who were fully aware of the risks and knew how to take appropriate action to avoid danger.