Name: The Book of the Wild
Start: 2025-06-18T17:30:00+01:00
Location: Ogwen Cottage

In this evening walking exploration into the heart of Yr Wyddfa, Lauren will weave together geomorphology, ecology, foraging, ecopoetic storytelling and mythology to inspire a new way of looking at our landscapes.

We no longer look at landscapes through the same lens as our ancestors. We seek beautiful wild spaces as they fill us with wonder and wellbeing. Deep down we know that these spaces are good for us. But because wild wisdom is no longer passed down, we cannot remember why.

But what if we knew that beauty is our body’s way of telling us that our needs can be met in this landscape? That maybe, subconsciously, there is a part of us that still reads the book of the wild.

Our focus will be on the area around Cwm Idwal. We will dive into the deep past to see how this landscape has changed over time and how we can use this information to understand other landscapes and ourselves.

We will then explore the landscape in its current time to see what the ecology of the mountains can tell us as human animals to help us to thrive in the wild. We will be able to learn how to find food and water sources, how to navigate boggy ground without being swallowed up, how to pick the best places for shelter and how to plan our journeys, taking these things into account.

This workshop is a remembering. An awakening of the knowledge we all possessed long ago. Your introduction to the book of the wild. You will not learn to read the whole book in this session. That is the work of a lifetime. But I hope this workshop begins to open your awareness, to help you to see what used to be seen so that you can choose your next chapters with an added perspective.

To know:

We will be heading off path during the walk so please bring sturdy footwear with ankle support. The pace will be slow with lots of stopping so you do not need to be super fit but you do need to be comfortable on uneven ground.
I encourage you to minimise technology on this walk to help the mind to change the way it looks at the land. If you would like to take notes, I encourage you to do it the old-fashioned way. Sketch instead of photograph. Make written notes. Feel free to bring notebook and pen.

Please bring a packed dinner/tea to eat on the hill

Although the language of the land is Cymraeg, the language of the workshop will be English. Some Cymraeg will be woven into the day to honour the land.

Further details such as meeting location will be sent upon booking