Fron Oleu Mill

Explorer Tom Yr Ysgwrn is a farmhouse near Trawsfynydd where a poet's chair carries the weight of a whole generation. The home of Hedd Wyn still has much of the furniture he knew, so his story arrives through ordinary rooms as well as national ceremony. I reckon the mountains outside would gladly give him the last word. Ellis Humphrey Evans, known by his bardic name Hedd Wyn, was a shepherd and poet who lived here with his family. He was killed on 31 July 1917 during the First World War. Weeks later, the National Eisteddfod announced that his poem had won the chair; it was draped in black and became the Black Chair. That chair is kept at Yr Ysgwrn, where it speaks of both one writer's achievement and the families that grieved after the war. The house also tells the quieter history of farming and Welsh-language culture at the turn of the twentieth century. Book a guided farmhouse tour to see the rooms and hear the story in context. The Eryri National Park Authority says the exhibition, outdoor paths and picnic areas can be visited without a farmhouse booking, subject to seasonal opening. Yr Ysgwrn is a working farm, so follow its paths and the stated rule about dogs. Make time for the landscape that shaped the poet's words, but keep the Black Chair's real meaning clear of any invented battle tale. This is a place to pause, listen and then carry a poem's human setting back into the hills. Yr Ysgwrn remains a family home in its feel, even while welcoming visitors. If I claim the chair whispered to me, it would be asking for better writing.