St Tydecho Pilgrimage Sites in West Wales

Traditionally, St Tydecho traveled from Brittany with his sister St Tegfedd. Some accounts include a brother too, though his name is variously given as Samson or Dogmael.  A contemporary of St David, St Iltud and St Gildas, Tydecho was active throughout the mid-Cardigan Bay area, particularly Mawddwy.

He would have witnessed the Battle of Camlan, in which the annals tell us Arthur and Medraut (aka Modred) died. His churches triangulate the battlefield.

Tydecho's legends largely involve thwarting local Pagan warrior-kings, as they would attempt to hinder or destroy his Christian mission. When the powerful Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to disturb Tydecho's crop planting, the saint prayed for assistance. The High King was duly stuck fast to the rock upon which he sat.

When the Powys chieftain Cynan abducted Tegfedd, her brother's prayers caused the warlord to be struck blind, until he returned the holy lady and begged for forgiveness.

But these weren't the only stories. A local milkmaid was struggling under her load through the Aran Mountains. She stumbled and dropped her pails, spilling all inside. Tydecho found her sobbing beside the stream. He promptly wrought a miracle by which the waters alongside turned into milk. It's still called the Llaethnant (Milk Stream), and it still runs white.

At one time, multitudes of Christians would visit the places associated with St Tydecho. Modern day pilgrims can still do the same.

The location of Llanmawddwy Parish Church would have been very well known to St Tydecho and St Tegfedd.  Here, more than anywhere, contemporary Christians would come to find them. Tydecho is said to have lived in a cell somewhere in the grounds. But the specific spot has been lost.

This was a place already sacred before St Tydecho arrived. Huge yew trees grace the churchyard, once forming a full circle. Though only three now survive.

Unfortunately, this isn't quite what we're seeing today. From 1854, Llanmawddwy Parish Church was extensively rebuilt by Reverend John Williams. Much of the original architectually Catholic features were removed, in order to create a more Anglican aspect.

This holy enclosure in Llanmawddwy was a center of Christianity in an unbroken line going back to 520 (and almost certainly a Pagan sacred place before then). But all that ended in 2006, when the church doors were locked.

St Tydecho's Llanmawddwy Church is currently unused/abandoned with dust collecting fast inside. You cannot go in, but the grounds are worth wandering around.

The disuse is particularly sad, when you consider the esteem in which Tydecho was once held. In the 17th century, a historian named George Owen passed through the village. He was startled to note that parishioners still kept a vigil for St Tydecho - in his old decaying chapel within the modern church grounds - every Friday night.

This was after the Reformation, when such 'Papist' practices would not only have been viewed with grave suspicion, but could be downright dangerous for anyone indulging in them. Yet the people of Llanmawddwy were prepared to risk all to keep that ancient tradition alive.

From North Wales:

• Take the A494 to Llanuwchllyn (if coming from Bala, you have the option of the B4403 too)
• Take the mountain road south, past Y Bryn, on the eastern side of the Twrch Valley. It will be sign-posted Llanmawddwy, Dinas Mawddwy and/or Bwlch-y-Groes
• Follow the winding, climbing, narrow road up into the mountains onto the Bwlch-y-Groes. NB This has a 17% gradient descent on the other side, and the road twists somewhat. New drivers or those with heavier cars might prefer the long way around.  (In which case, take the A494 to Dolgellau, then follow the directions below instead.)
• Stay on the road down into the valley. You will arrive in due course at Llanmawddwy. The church is on the left, with parking a few yards on to the right.

From West, East and South Wales:

• Take the A470 to Dinas Mawddwy and turn into the village
• Follow the main road through the village, which leads north into the Dyfi Valley and is clearly sign-posted Llanmawddwy.

Unfortunately, we didn't have internet access up there. The Aran Mountains block all signals within the pass, even for 'phones. Plus torrential rain rendered visibility quite reduced.

I should also have purchased an Ordnance Survey map (number 125 in the Landranger series: Bala and Lake Vrynwy (Y Bala a Llyn Efrynwy) would have been perfect), and matched up my disparate hints on there, instead of relying on notes previously made from Google Maps. The latter really wasn't adequate.

My friend and I walked much further than we needed to go. The terrain was stunning, so this wasn't exactly the disaster it could have been. But it did mean that I didn't find a couple of St Tydecho sites, through looking in the wrong place.

It's only since returning home, armed with information gleaned there, plus the Landranger map in my possession, that I've been able to locate (more or less) precisely where everything will be. I will indicate where places are known (and recently visited) and where their position is due to educated guesses.

On the other side of the Llaethnant, at the base of Ogof Ddu, there are the ruins of a sheep fold. I read that this was where the milkmaid was crying over her spilled milk, when St Tydecho arrived. However, I couldn't help considering that milk doesn't come from sheep - unless you're a lamb - so I'd expect this legend to have more cows in it.

What I did notice is that immediately above the ruins are the distinct remains of an earthwork. In fact, the sheep fold looked more like a doorway to that than anything large enough to corral sheep.

I did wonder if the legend had therefore lost something in translation. Should we be noting that - perhaps the remains of a much larger corral, or even an early Iron Age settlement - instead of the tumble-down stones before it? Either way, this is the legendary Buches Tydecho.

This is the point at which my friend and I went awry in our attempt to find landmarks dedicated to St Tydecho. Though I should say that I messed that one up. She was merely along for company and the pretty scenery. I was navigating.

We followed the trail all the way to the deep, awe-inspiring waterfall of Creunant Y Briddell. Then continued on the zig-zag mountainside track into the range beyond. Please do feel free to emulate us, if you wish to view amazing landscapes. But if you're here for St Tydecho, then turn around now, you've missed the turning.

My trouble is that so did we. Therefore what follows are my best guesses, based on descriptions and co-ordinates, without having been personally verified. We were so close!  We walked past it twice!

Once you're parallel to Buches Tydecho (on the other side of the Llaethnant), you need to turn right, then right again, into a hidden cleft in the slopes of Llechwedd Du. It is here that you will find two of Tydecho's most famous places, and the ultimate destination for Medieval pilgrims.

The big question is where?  I've highlighted two routes and it will be one of them. But until I'm able to return (or someone else goes there first), I can't confirm which is correct. My best guess is that labelled number one, with the other being my second choice.

Number one best matches the co-ordinates on the Landranger map (#175 SH 894218), plus features on the mountain-side which look about right. Only the second is true of number two.

If you do know (or nip there to discover it), please do comment and put me out of my misery.

After much scouring of maps and descriptions upon where to locate Ffynnon Dydecho and Gwely Tydecho, I came up with the most likely two options for that right turn off the mountain pass. But zooming in on Google Earth gave me a third route, wherein I think I can even see those landmark features.

But I've failed in locating it before by relying solely on such things, and this seems slightly too far east to match the map co-ordinates.

Nevertheless, for completeness, I will include my possible third route to St Tydecho's Bed and Well. Take it with as many pinches of salt as you care to supply.  (The location of the fold and head are definite, while 1 and 2 match the aerial view already given above.)