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Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape
InÌýTirÌýâ€� the Welsh word for ‘landâ€� â€� writer and ecologist Carwyn Graves takes us on a tour of seven key elements of the Welsh landscape, such as theÌýffridd, or mountain pasture, and theÌýrhos, or wild moorland. By diving deep into the history and ecology of each of these landscapes, we discover that Wales, in all its beautiful variety, is at base just as much a human cultural creation as a natural its raw materials evolved alongside the humans that have lived here since the ice receded.
In our modern era of climate concerns and polarised debates on land use, diet and more, it matters that we understand the world we are in and the roads we travelled to get here. By exploring each of these key landscapes and meeting the people who live, work and farm in them,ÌýTirÌýoffers hope for a better future; one with stunningly beautiful, richly biodiverse landscapes that are ten times richer in wildlife than they currently are, and still full of humans working the land.
In our modern era of climate concerns and polarised debates on land use, diet and more, it matters that we understand the world we are in and the roads we travelled to get here. By exploring each of these key landscapes and meeting the people who live, work and farm in them,ÌýTirÌýoffers hope for a better future; one with stunningly beautiful, richly biodiverse landscapes that are ten times richer in wildlife than they currently are, and still full of humans working the land.
- GenresNatureNonfiction
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2024
15 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 19, 2024
The highlight of the month! Read over a couple of weeks as my daughter’s bedtime story and we both loved it. It’s such an important book as it describes the Welsh landscape as a human, cultural creation, going all the way back to the end of the ice age. Graves also looks forward at what might be possible for the people and biodiversity of rural Wales in the future. We drove up the west coast of Wales immediately after and she was trying to spot the infield, outfield, rhos, ancient hedgerows and bemoaning the conifers all too often in exactly the wrong place.
September 25, 2024
Beautiful and passionate, like so much Welsh nature writing.
March 25, 2025
Such a bold look at both the landcsape of Wales' past and how to incorporate that into a vision for the future under the impending climate catastrophe.
November 2, 2024
Fantastic, short-ish book.
I was recommended this book by a friend as a Briton trying to learn more about Welsh culture and how it has shaped the landscape. Incedentally, I also have a great interest in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and this book took me by surprise by combining these two concepts beautifully.
Carwyn is a passionate advocate for a form of low-input traditional farming culture - the kind that has existed in Wales for milennia. He makes an important case for the importance of TEK in rural Wales and suggests that this is generally overlooked by incomers or officials with other plans for the landscape.
This book fills me with hope for the future, and has helped me to see the Welsh landscape with new eyes.
I was recommended this book by a friend as a Briton trying to learn more about Welsh culture and how it has shaped the landscape. Incedentally, I also have a great interest in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and this book took me by surprise by combining these two concepts beautifully.
Carwyn is a passionate advocate for a form of low-input traditional farming culture - the kind that has existed in Wales for milennia. He makes an important case for the importance of TEK in rural Wales and suggests that this is generally overlooked by incomers or officials with other plans for the landscape.
This book fills me with hope for the future, and has helped me to see the Welsh landscape with new eyes.
July 8, 2024
Wonderful and hopeful exploration of the welsh landscape, language, and culture. Bring back the orchards!
September 10, 2024
Carwyn Graves' description of the ecology and cultural history of the Welsh landscape provides a holistic understanding of a place that has evolved over millenia. He weaves in the rich descriptions the Welsh language has created for living on this land as he highlights the stories of people who understand the balance of wildlife and those work the land. His thoughtful look at the Welsh landscape provides hope for the future in this changing climate. If you're a fan of Robert Macfarlane's writing, you're certain to enjoy Carwyn Graves' Tir as well.
February 10, 2025
A brilliantly interesting and informative book.
Recency bias probably a factor, but this is the best non fiction I've personally read, loved it. Admittedly I am probably the exact target market for this book, but I can't recommend it enough.
(I typically to do a fair bit of research before buying a book, but bought this purely out of awkwardness having spent far too long browsing in a local shop. Hoping this is just correlation rather than causation for what are brilliant reads going forward.)
Recency bias probably a factor, but this is the best non fiction I've personally read, loved it. Admittedly I am probably the exact target market for this book, but I can't recommend it enough.
(I typically to do a fair bit of research before buying a book, but bought this purely out of awkwardness having spent far too long browsing in a local shop. Hoping this is just correlation rather than causation for what are brilliant reads going forward.)
November 28, 2024
Really interesting and thought provoking on the role of farming, landscape and culture on Wales. It offers practical solutions to the environmental crisis based on the history and culture of Wales.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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