Gower Peninsula Summer Camp 2008

Written by forestelf Monday, 19 July 2010 21:16

The Pagan Federation Mid-West and Wales held their Summer Camp down Llanmadoc in July 2008.  The organisers of the event had picked a great location for this year's event as the Gower Peninsula possesses some of finest Pagan sites and monuments in the country. Contained within its small borders are Arthur's Stone, the Sweyne Howes, Giant's Grave, nine Standing Stones and numerous prehistoric cairns. Historians and archaeologists have now also identified the 29,000-year-old remains of Gower's infamously misnamed "Red Lady of Paviland" - the oldest known ceremonial burial in Western Europe - as belonging to an important Shaman of the time.

Tucked beneath Llanmadoc Hill, with its mighty Iron Age Earth Fort, and with the  commanding views over the beautiful expanse of the Whiteford Sands, those attending this year's camp really could not have asked for a better location on which to enjoy the weekend's varied line-up of music, dance, workshops, rituals,  lectures and general socialising. Despite heavy rain and intense winds taking a toll on the  numbers attending the event, the camp was a great success with the worst Summer weather I have known in a long time failing to dampen many of the attendees spirits.

Arriving early on Friday evening, it proved a real battle erecting our family tent against the blustering wind. But the other campers were some of the friendliest people I have ever met and with their kind help we soon had our tent up and were ready to enjoy the festivities ahead.

A colourful, enthusiastic belly dancing display opened the first night of entertainment. This energetic dance was followed by more calming and wistful melodies provided by a variety of singers/guitarists who set a welcoming charm to the night, despite the ever present wind and rain.

The weather on the first morning of the Summer Camp was fine but gusty. The torrential rain of the night  before had stopped and the sun shone bright and wonderfully upon Llanmadoc and the beach below the camp. It really was a beautiful scene - a fitting welcome to what must have been the first large-scale Pagan  ceremony to be held on this landscape for countless years.

As the ritual opening of the Summer Camp  commenced, I could not help but raise my eyes from the ceremony itself to gaze upon the immense hill which dominated the landscape to the south of us. Upon this hill, in the Iron Age earth-fort known as the Bulwark, ancient ritual monuments still remind visitors of the Pagan  ceremonies our Gower ancestors once practised. It was a moving moment to connect that morning's ceremony to those undertaken by the people of Llanmadoc all those years ago. I found the opening of the ceremony - the visualising of roots growing from our feet and into the earth, from which we then drew the earth's energies into our bodies and minds - particularly evocative. The drawing of and farewell to the Gods of the North, the South, the East and the West was also very charged as was the passing of food and drink around the circle of  people, the sweetest of greetings, and the wishes that those eating and drinking at the camp would never suffer hunger or thirst. When the Opening Ceremony came to its conclusion, I could not help but feel happy, even though the rain had now begun to fall once more.

Elaine Mein gave a very interesting talk on the history and power of Runes later that afternoon. Elaine also ran a stall on the site, selling Runes, charms and other interesting items. I had a  fascinating chat with Elaine after her talk and learned a little of the pros and cons of selling wares around the various camps and festivals around the country.

Another fascinating speaker was Karl-James Langford. I had been particularly interested in hearing his lecture, which examined what archaeologists and historians can learn from folk stories about prehistoric sites. His talk included descriptions of the legends associated with the Welsh prehistoric sites of Penre Ifan and Tinkinswood - as well as some funny and very personal anecdotes about his visits to these monuments. A very amusing speaker, with an infectious love for his subject matter, his talk was not only illuminating but very entertaining also. The guy was a real star of the Summer Camp. I had a nice long chat with Karl later that afternoon and have continued to keep in touch with him after the camp.

I only managed to catch one of the bands that played that evening as a huge camp fire had been built on the edge of the camp, overlooking Whiteford Sands, and I just could not resist the allure of its warming flames. 'Telling the Bees' (pictured right) played a great selection of folk songs and I enjoyed them so much that they kept my bottom glued to my seat until their gig had finished. As soon as they had completed their act though, I headed straight off to the fire, just in time to catch a truly magnificent Gower sunset.

I was up bright and early on the last day of the Summer Camp to catch Tipi Rob's talk on Crystal Healing. Tipi Rob's lecture was hugely enjoyable and really opened my mind to the subject of crystals and their various uses.

The following talk, entitled 'What Happened to Pagan Science?' was so captivating that I could have listened to the warm-hearted chat about Plato, Belief and Reality for the rest of the day. The speaker had a real presence to him and is someone else I would truly love to hear speak again.

The Programme of Events for the weekend closed with a ritual from Sorita'd Este. As the ceremony proceeded, the skies above North Gower began to open, heralding another magnificent evening sunset to enthral those campers who had remained for the Summer Camp's fading last hours of reflection.

For many years now, I have been very disappointed with the Welsh Tourist Board and Swansea Council’s failure to promote the Gower Peninsula's rich Pagan history. Sign-posting to many of its  monuments are minimal and there are no information leaflets published on the area's evocative folklore and legends. Most of Gower's Standing Stones are next to invisible, having been  swamped by hedges. There is far more to Gower than its beaches and the Pagan Federation's visit to the peninsula helped advertise the fact that this peninsula of ours is richer in history than far too many people seem to realise.