From the Editor: The best from myWanderlust this week

Learning life lessons from the University of myWanderlust

4 mins

You know what I love about myWanderlust? Each week I always learn something. Always. The best place to see the Northern Lights is Trondheim. The existence of a mysterious phantom star-rater. Fintown Trekker’s real name. Each week I unearth a little nugget of information that I file away for when it will prove useful.

This week I learned about Beddgelert in Wales. And in particular, about the wolfhound the village is named after.

Sergeant Pluck summed up the tale as such:

“Some local knight had a wolfhound called Gelert and it used to sleep in the bedroom of the knight's son. One day our man hears lots of commotion so he goes into the kid's room and there's blood everywhere and the kid is missing. The dog is there with blood all over its chops so, howling with grief, he slays the unlucky mutt right there and then.

"Then he discovers, in the rumpled bedding, the frightened boy and the body of a wolf, sans throat. So, realising the dog had saved the boy's life, he buried it outside and from thereon, the place was called Beddgelert, which is Welsh for something involving Gelert.”

I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s a great story. Something for everyone as they say. And upon reading it I was all set to jump in my car, head north to Wales and pay my respects at the bronze statue of Gelert.

The thing is, this wonderful thread redolent with bravery, faithfulness and bitter misunderstanding, evolved out of a simple question from MarkyB about last minute getaways in the UK this Easter.  If he’d turned to Tom Hall on The Guardian he would have got a one-word-answer like ‘Cornwall’ and I’d be none-the-wiser about brave, unjustly slain wolfhounds in a wet part of Wales.

Elsewhere on the forum, quathi is looking for advice on London, Mik is heading off to Dublin and DrG is after tips for his road trip from Kent to Calpe. No evocative tales of yore yet, but plenty of good, solid advice from myWanderlusters. If you have anything to add – advice or a fairy tale – head over here.

Over at our photo galleries, satkinson puts the ice into Iceland with a series of images of chunks of frozen water from her recent trip north. She also gives some great advice in just back from. Jamie Furlong presents a photo essay on the people of Delhi. DrG and Elephant90 take us to Botswana. And Pathfinder has posted some terrific photos from Yellowstone National Park.

Don’t forget to check out Pathfinder’s experience, Into The Valley of the Wolves. He learned a lot about photographing these magnificent beasts. And you will too.

Still in experiences, arantha visits the sulphur baths in Tblisi and gets an up-close-and-personal introduction into the grooming habits of Georgian women. Be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Finally, to just back from, home of the most up-to-date tips and advice from returning myWanderlusters. Satkinson and Howellsey are both singing the praise of the natural wonders of Iceland (and it’s not that expensive, says satkinson.) Fernie gives you the lowdown on Termez in Uzbekistan, perhaps our further-est flung just back from entry to date. And LaurenAmellia recounts what little she can remember from a St Patrick’s Day trip to Dublin. Alan Taylor reveals the hidden Georgian splendour of Amersham Old Town. And DrG lets us in on the best pub in Hove, the Robin Hood

Like I said, you always learn something useful on myWanderlust.

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