The Welsh Drovers

During the first tour which included Wales and England--I cannot remember the exact year but think it was 1997--we had a speaker in Wales by the name of Idris Evans. (With a name like that, he would have to be Welsh!) Idris had been recommended by a contact at the Welsh Tourist Board and was reported to be an informative, interesting speaker. He certainly didn't disappoint us. The subject of his talk was the tradition of the Welsh drovers, something we all found very interesting.

I'd lost touch with Idris since 1997 and as you know, times have changed a lot since then, but thanks to a search on Google, I was able to locate him. (I also learned that in the interim, he had written a book called Hard Road to London.) For both our 2011 Welsh tours, it's been arranged for Idris to speak to us about the drovers, In addition, he'll tell us about the flannel mills which used to operate in Wales and the knitters of Bala. This will be another opportunity to learn more about Welsh traditions and a chance to ask questions.

As I've indicated before, the May tour to Wales sold out quickly but there is room on the September version. Have a look at the details on my website: http://www.joycejamestours.com/

Still working away on the final details of the piecework blanket--haven't had much time lately but its coming along. I'm looking forward to getting it finished.