Last Tango in Aberystwyth

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A huge part of my enjoyment of the 'Aberystwyth Noir' novels are the fact that I know the locations that are being referenced throughout them and this allows me to visualise the action - but also gives me a shot of nostalgia. It had important links with the Welsh princes of Deheubarth, and was captured by rebel prince Owain Glyndwr in 1404. The Abbey was eventually destroyed following Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. The neighbouring parish church may well have been built from the stones of Strata Florida Abbey. It’s worth a look inside, and there is also a memorial to medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym under a yew tree in the churchyard. Cofiwch Dryweryn Graffiti The famous Cofiwch Dryweryn graffiti near Llanrhystud, south of Aberystwyth

Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Mr Malcolm Pryce (Paperback Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Mr Malcolm Pryce (Paperback

One of my favourite drives in Wales is the continuation of the Elan Valley route, climbing to the head of the Ystwyth valley before descending between steep, bare mountains that are bleak in the rain and gloom, but beautiful in the sunshine. The views are just as extensive in the Camera Obscura, another Victorian curiosity, which gives a bird’s eye view of a large part of Mid Wales. Aberystwyth Castle Aberystwyth Castle at duskThe local prostitutes are usually girls who came to try their hand at modelling, but, as this is Wales, they only get the knitting patterns and pictures in traditional Welsh dress for the lids of fudge boxes (" treadle trollops"). Another diversion from real Aberystwyth is the thriving " What The Butler Saw" movie industry, previously under the control of the Druids. Prostitutes wear stovepipe hats all the time, although very little else - this is a very sly look at traditional Welsh culture. During the Civil War King Charles I set up a mint at the Castle, but it was eventually taken by Parliamentarian (Roundhead) forces and the Castle was slighted in 1649. I didn’t finish this book, not because I didn’t have the time to read it and have just given up on it but because what I have read of this book so far has barely held my attention when I’ve spent almost a whole month on the book already. The narrative itself is a little silly and far fetched in a number of places - but this is a novel that's aware of what it is and does not take itself too seriously.

Last Tango in Aberystwyth - Goodreads

Dai Brainbocs is the evil scientific genius who Louie runs into. Dai is obsessed with Myfanwy and abducted her twice to try to make her love him. Physically he stopped growing aged 14, and has to use a wheelchair to get about. A truly brilliant school boy genius who discovered Cantref Gwaelod, reads and writes runes and even faked his own death in Mon Amour, he is described as a danger to humanity. His Promethean urge to do the unthinkable makes him dangerous, as does his emotional and moral detachment from experiments (e.g. trying to clone Jesus). At the end of The Unbearable Lightness he had found a potential cure for Myfanwy, and had turned his hideout into Myfanwy's idea of heaven as described in a school essay she wrote aged 9. What happened to him after he cured Myfanwy is not explained in the latest book, but he may have been returned to Shrewsbury prison. At exceptionally low tides, a petrified forest is revealed, the scattered tree stumps believed to be the remnants of the lost kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod. The graffiti next to the A487 has been there since the 1960s, and it is regularly repainted. The wall has been vandalized several times, and copies of it have been made around Wales to keep reinforcing the message. Aber’s seafront is wonderful, with fine Victorian architecture, one of the most magnificent buildings in Wales (the Old College), a traditional Pier and the ruins of a medieval castle built by England’s King Edward I. The Ceredigion Coast path, along with those on Gower, in Pembrokeshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey, is one of the most rewarding sections of the Wales Coast Path.The village of Cwmystwyth (which means ‘Ystwyth Valley’) is several miles down the valley. Before you reach it, you pass the ruined lead mines that brought this remote place into being. As you descend, the landscape becomes gentler and more lush, eventually becoming the B4574 which takes you through the Hafod Estate to Devils Bridge. Aberystwyth Noir and Hinterland Typical Hinterland country – a waterfall in the Cambrian Mountains near Aberystwyth We’ve eaten at many restaurants in Aberystwyth down the years. I can strongly recommend the restaurant in Gwesty Cymru, the 5-star hotel on the seafront, and also Baravin (pictured), which serves very good Mediterranean food with the occasional Welsh and even Asian twist. The village of Capel Celyn was one of a small number of communities where Welsh was the only language used, and its destruction gave rise to widespread discontent and stronger protests in support of the Welsh language. The legacy of this unpopular war was veterans who were traumatised by their actions there, and often unable to find work when they returned. They would often become scapegoats for crimes, as happened to Rimbaud in The Unbearable Lightness. Pantycelyn returned with an arm amputated, so was unable to work on his parents' farm near Cader Idris; stories very reminiscent of experiences from the Vietnam War in our universe. Borth is one long straggling street with caravans and holiday homes occupying much of the hill above. The food choice is limited to whatever you can find that goes with chips, but behind the sea wall you’ll find one of the most beautiful – and most mystical – beaches in Wales.