On this page you will not find late-breaking news, for which there are plenty of other alternative sites. Instead, I have included updates on issues that have continued interest and relevance to anglers, walkers, conservationists and anyone who values the wildlife, environment and other attractions of Kite Country.

• Welsh Red Kites struggle to breed in poor weather
• Dates for your diary in 2010
• The Canoeing Debate
• Fish power may generate electricity in future
• Sale of rod-caught salmon and sea trout outlawed
• The Angling Trust
• Blueprint for Water
• Call to ban fishing in Brecon Beacons National Park
• National Park becomes a Geopark
• New long-distance footpath across Brecon Beacons
• Habitat improvements to River Monnow
• Upper Wye Passport
• Has anybody seen any big cats recently?

Welsh Red Kites struggle to breed in poor weather

December 2009: According to recent reports from the Welsh Kite Trust this was another reasonably good year for the Red Kite in Wales, with the number of observed breeding pairs and chicks remaining stable despite very poor weather during the breeding season, which also followed a particularly bad winter. The awful weather also hampered efforts by the Trust and its volunteers to monitor all of the known nest sites and locate new ones throughout the Principality, but the estimated number of breeding pairs in Wales now stands at 800-1000, which is a tribute to the hard work contributed by the Trust and related groups such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds over the years. These magnificent birds are now fairly widely dispersed throughout Wales and have also spread to neighbouring English counties, with Welsh birds now believed to have emigrated to Herefordshire, Shropshire and even Cheshire. However, whilst the continuing increase in kite populations in Wales and the rest of the UK is encouraging, both infant and adult mortality is still too high to let us drop our guard now. It is certainly worth bearing in mind that the Red Kite in Europe continues to suffer, with reported decreases in populations of 40 per cent in Spain and 30 per cent in France and Germany, largely through the inconsiderate and often illegal use of poisons. For more on this dreadful news see this article on the Animal Campaigns web site.

Dates for your diary in 2010

November 2009: Next year's Hay Festival of Literature will take place between the 27th May and 6th June. This quite unique event set in the beautiful town of Hay-on-Wye, renowned for its many second-hand bookshops, always attracts a fascinating variety of speakers. Make sure you check the web site for details of next year's guests and book your accommodation for this as early as possible.

Next year's Welsh Game Fair will again be held in Llandeilo, in the Towy valley, on the 19th and 20th June. This is always a good day out for anglers, hunters and lovers of other country pursuits, but there is something at the Fair to interest the whole family.

The international polo tournament to be held in the beautiful surroundings of Glanusk Park near Crickhowell on Saturday 17th July promises to repeat the success of the event held in 2009, a charity match between Wales and South America with proceeds benefitting the Prince's Trust. This was a very glamorous affair attracting celebrities from far and wide and more details will be posted on their web site in due course.

Between the 19th and 22nd July the Royal Welsh Show will attract many thousands of visitors from all over the United Kingdom to this very special and popular agricultural show in the beautifully situated town of Builth Wells. This is the region's premiere visitor event and promises entertainment for all the family.

The hugely popular and truly international Brecon Jazz Festival will now definitely take place between Friday 6th and Sunday 8th August next year, again under the organisation of Peter Florence. The Festival has been brough forward from its traditional slot over the second weekend of August in order to fall into line with other European jazz festivals. It will therefore coincide with the excellent Brecon Show held on Saturday 7th August, where visitors will be able to view the best livestock from the region and enjoy many countryside activities and demonstrations. The Jazz Festival programme is expected to be announced in January and tickets will go on sale in April.

Clearly illustrating the attraction of the Brecon Beacons for music lovers and closely following on the heels of Brecon's jazz fest is the Green Man Festival featuring a wide variety of indie, psych, dance and folk musicians. The festival will again be held between the 20th and 22nd August in the beautiful Glanusk Park on the banks of the River Usk near Crickhowell and you are well advised to book early to guarantee a space for your tent/caravan/bed roll. Early bird tickets are now already on sale, so be sure to visit their web site soon.

Dates for next year's extraordinary and very popular Victorian Festival in the pretty old spa town of Llandrindod Wells have yet to be announced, but are likely to be somewhere between the 21st and 29th August. Boasting a variety of themed events, this is an excuse to find some old clothes in the attic and dress up in your best Victoriana.

Also very popular with summer visitors to Kite Country is the Talgarth Festival of the Black Mountains, which encompasses a variety of events throughout the small town of Talgarth over the last weekend in August. There is something here for everybody.

If you want to enjoy a truly memorable and unique experience, please make sure to visit the smallest town in Great Britain to soak up the atmosphere (and possibly something stronger) as well as to enjoy some truly unique events - their first beer festival (and mountain bike chariot racing event) is on the 9th January! Llanwrtyd Wells will again play host to the famous World Bog Snorkelling Championships at the end of August as well as the Mid Wales Beer Festival in late November, plus many other zany and entertaining festivities throughout the year. For more information keep your eyes on the Green Events web site, as many dates have yet to be confirmed.

If you can't make it to Builth Wells for the Royal Welsh Show, please note your calendar for the Monmouth Show on Thursday 26th August. This is always an excellent one-day show and boasts a very large selection of exhibitors and trade stands as well as livestock competitions and displays.

The Abergavenny Food Festival will hopefully again take place on the 18th and 19th September, although dates have yet to be confirmed. The event routinely attracts leading figures from the food world plus TV chefs and media personalities. Visit the many talks, tastings, stalls and demonstrations.

Die-hard rally fans will hopefully again head for the forests of Mid Wales at the end of October to watch the action in the Wales Rally GB. This final round of the World Rally Championship always attracts the finest rally drivers, although the continuing withdrawal of various works teams from rally and other motorsports events because of the economic crisis could affect next year's plans. Keep checking the web site for details.

The Canoeing Debate

August 1st 2009: I have tried to steer clear of the growing controversy in the UK about free access to rivers for a variety of users, especially canoeists, as I have never experienced any particular problems in the past whilst fishing. In fact, I have generally been very impressed with the politeness shown by those wishing to paddle their way past me and I can happily accept their presence for the minute or so that it usually takes for them to pass by. However, I know that many other anglers have experienced problems and I can understand the arguments expressed by angling organisations who are concerned by the prospect of large-scale disturbance of spawning grounds or even by the notion that canoeists are trying to express their right to navigate freely through privately owned watercourses without any attempt to contribute anything like the charges that anglers are expected to pay.

However, I am very saddened that an individual who I have come to admire over many years for his intelligence, contribution to British culture and his excellent sense of humour has somehow been sucked into this debate and expressed some very one-sided views that can only have a negative impact on the present impasse. According to recent reports Griff Rhys Jones has been promoting his new television series on British rivers by suggesting that “we should disturb as many fishermen as possible” because “...the river isn’t there for a few, but for the many”. For more on this issue please see the Angling Trust web site.

Having now watched his very enjoyable series, I thought his views were actually more balanced than previously reported and he did seem to spend time with anglers and other river users as well as (frequently) paddling his canoe along various waterways.

Fish power may generate electricity in future

April 1st 2009: According to today's Daily Telegraph scientists have discovered that the swimming actions of different types of fish can be harnessed and converted into a useful, alternative source of electricity through a process known as finetics. It is a fascinating, but technically complex article and I would strongly urge you to read it in its entirety. Unsurprisingly, the salmon comes out on top when it comes to energy production.

Sale of rod-caught salmon and sea trout outlawed

January 2009: Anglers in England and Wales will no longer be able to sell any salmon or sea trout caught on rod and line. In addition all commercially caught fish will have to be tagged by netsmen to make them legally saleable. The new Environment Agency byelaw becomes active on January 31st. This legislation brings England and Wales in line with Scottish law, which banned the sale of rod caught salmon and sea trout in 2007. However, the carcass tagging of commercially caught fish is a step further than Scotland and mirrors the successful initiative run for several years in Ireland.

The ban follows many years of persistent lobbying by the Salmon and Trout Association and other bodies and is very much welcomed by responsible anglers.

The Angling Trust

December 2008: On Monday 5th January 2009 a new representative body to be known as The Angling Trust will be formed by the merger of several organisations that, until now, represented different aspects of angling in the United Kingdom separately. These well-known groups are the Anglers Conservation Association (ACA), the National Federation of Anglers, the National Federation of Sea Anglers, the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives, the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT) and the Specialist Anglers Alliance. The new Trust will protect recreational angling as a legitimate pastime and promote its benefits for the environment, society and the economy. The successful legal actions undertaken by the ACA over many years will continue under the Trust. The Trust's new web site is still not up and running, but you can reach them for more details at their email address.

Blueprint for Water

January 2007: Although it might be raining outside whilst you read this, I hope you will accept that our most precious natural resource is currently in a state of unprecedented crisis. The Government has committed itself to meeting the objectives of the European Union Water Framework Directive, which states that we must restore the ecology of Europe's rivers, lakes and wetlands by 2015 and that every member state's plans must be in place by 2009. The Blueprint for Water is both a coalition of specialist organisations and an alternative set of proposals that the Government is being urged to adopt to meet its obligations under the Directive. Even if you are not an angler you will have plenty to say about water conservation and quality and therefore please take some time to have a look at the Blueprint and see what you think our leaders should be doing to protect our future. The coalition members include the Anglers' Conservation Association, the Association of Rivers Trusts, the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust, the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Salmon and Trout Association, Waterwise, the Wildlife Trusts, the WWF and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Call to ban fishing in Brecon Beacons National Park

October 2005: Many thanks to Garth Roberts of the Carmarthenshire Rivers Trust for alerting me to a recent letter from the organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to the Chief Executive of the Brecon Beacons National Park . Apparently, the letter asks that fishing be banned within the Park because of overwheming evidence that fish are intelligent animals who experience stress and pain. According to PETA the hooking of fish through the lip offends against the national park mission that all wildlife should be protected. You can find out more about PETA's view from their Angling Hurts pages, where there are some hints on what to do to help fish or instead of actually fishing.

I think it would be a mistake to casually dismiss the PETA action, no matter how misguided you might think it is. The world is a different place from the one that existed when I first started writing this web site about 8 years ago and hunting foxes with dogs is now banned throughout the country. PETA and other organisations will not stop until they have seriously curtailed traditional activities that they regard as "bloodsports" and we need to challenge their ideas intellectually, not just emotionally.

New long-distance footpath across Brecon Beacons

May 2005: At long last the new long-distance footpath crossing the Brecon Beacons from East to West (and vice versa!) has finally been inaugurated after some 3 years of planning. Now officially known as the Beacons Way, the new 98 miles long path will be the first to start and finish in the National Park and will hopefully encourage even more visitors to the area.

There is a definite religious theme to the new trail, which joins the small hamlet of Bethlehem, to the West of the Park near the River Towy, with Holy Mountain (Skirrid Fawr) near Abergavenny in the East. Along the length of the path walkers will also see some of the most beautiful old chapels and churches to be found anywhere in Wales, such as the little gem in Partrishow, as well as some beautiful scenery, such as the view across to the Black Mountain shown on this page. Railway access will be possible via Llandovery in the West or via Abergavenny.

The opening of the path coincides with the arrival of Open Access in Wales on the 28th May. Experienced walkers should be able to complete the new trail in about eight consecutive days, although you may naturally decide to take a shorter stroll at almost any point. The excellent guide book to the new trail by John Sansom and Arwel Michael is essential reading and this is readily available from bookshops and tourist information centres throughout Kite Country (ISBN 1 902305 354). For more information see the Brecon Beacons Park Society web site.

Habitat Improvements to River Monnow

May 2004: Regular visitors to this site will know that I have featured developments in the ongoing project to improve the habitat of the little River Monnow since its inception in 1999. With the support of a number of concerned organisations, including the Usk and Monnow Valley branch of the Salmon and Trout Association, the Wild Trout Trust, the Game Conservancy Trust and the Grayling Research Trust, work to address this tributary of the River Wye was initially seriously set back by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001. The Monnow forms part of the border between England and Wales and was hailed as one of the finest trout streams in Southern Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century. Over the years it has suffered, like so many other rivers, through intensive cultivation of the surrounding farmland, bankside erosion through overgrazing, and excessive shade caused by trees that have not been cut or coppiced for decades.

However, work to put right many of these problems is now well under way and supporters of the project were able to see the real progress being made during an open day held on the 13th May. As well as listening to excellent speeches by the celebrated Wild Trout Trust Vice Presidents Brian Clarke and Gareth Edwards, the visitors were also shown the extent of fencing, coppicing and other bankside work already carried out on the river and were able to inspect the results of electrofishing on one short stretch. Full marks to the organisers, who made the day very interesting and enjoyable and also ensured that supporters did not leave without an excellent lunch!

For further information about the project please contact:

Gill Watkins
River Monnow Project Co-ordinator
Upper Cwm
Craswall
Herefordshire
HR2 0PH
telephone: 01981 510189
email: monnow@gct.org.uk

The work on the Monnow may already be having a positive impact on salmon stocks on the Wye, as catches in 2004 are said to be significantly higher than last year. Fish in excess of 30lbs have already been caught at Builth Wells and Monmouth and some beats are reporting catches up to 4 times higher than in previous years. Check out the Wye and Usk Foundation site for more details.

Upper Wye Passport

March 2004: For some years now I have featured the excellent conservation work being undertaken by the supporters of the Wye and Usk Foundation. Another innovation from this group is the recent publication of its very useful and informative booklet called the "Upper Wye Passport". This describes all the fishing beats that visitors can either reserve direct through the Foundation's own booking office in Builth Wells or on presentation of pre-paid vouchers that are also supplied by the Foundation. For more information see my page on the River Wye.

Has anybody seen any big cats recently?

January 2003: Police in West Wales are issuing warnings to farmers not go out alone at night after a dog was savaged by a "puma-like" animal near the village of Llangadog in the Towy Valley, in the West of Kite Country earlier in the month.

The attack is the latest in a number of sightings of mysterious large cats in remote areas of Wales and other parts of Britain. However, the elusive creatures have managed to avoid capture so far and it is not possible to say with any certainty what they might be. it has been suggested that black panthers, pumas or a lynx may be involved, although the debate continues.For more information check out the British Big Cat Society site. The Welsh sightings are also discussed more fully by BBC Wales, including some rather more important safety advice. Despite the warnings, please do not be put off visiting Kite Country this year.