Striking aerial photos shed new light on the mountain sheep pen

The sheep pen is a fairly common sight in the Welsh countryside, but one man's research and his striking aerial photos shows that they are far from ordinary.

Nigel Beidas documents the pens in the Carneddau mountains of north west Wales and is particularly interested in the communal mutlicellular ones shared by farmers who graze their sheep on common land.

//

Mae’r gorlan ddefaid yn olygfa weddol gyffredin yng nghefn gwlad Cymru, ond mae ymchwil un dyn a’i luniau trawiadol yn taflu goleuni newydd arnynt.

Mae Nigel Beidas yn dogfennu’r corlannau ar y Carneddau, yng ngogledd orllewin Cymru, ac mae ganddo ddiddordeb arbennig mewn un math yn arbennig – y rhai â sawl ‘cell’ sy’n cael eu rhannu gan ffermwyr sy’n pori defaid ar dir comin. ar yr ucheldiroedd.

These flower-shaped pens have only been formally recorded in three other countries - Switzerland, Iceland and Croatia, and Nigel Beidas says South Africa and Jordan have similar structures which merit further study.

Their use in Wales goes back up to 300 years and so the research is documenting an important part of the agricultural heritage.

After walking along the mountains to find them, Nigel takes aerial photos which highlight their beautiful patterns.

He explained how they work to BBC Radio Cymru's Aled Hughes, as the presenter prepared to walk the North Wales Pilgrim's Way from Holyhead to Aberdaron in aid of this year's Children in Need.

//

Dim ond mewn tair gwlad arall mae ‘na gorlannau o’r fath wedi eu cofrestru - y Swistir, Gwlad yr Iâ a Croatia.

Mae eu defnydd yng Nghymru yn mynd yn ôl hyd at 300 mlynedd ac felly mae'r gwaith yn cofnodi rhan bwysig o dreftadaeth amaethyddol Cymru.

Gan gerdded ar hyd y mynyddoedd i'w darganfod, mae Nigel yn defnyddio camera i dynnu lluniau o’r awyr i amlygu eu patrymau hardd a’r ffordd maen nhw’n gweithio.

Fe eglurodd y cefndir wrth Aled Hughes, wrth i’r cyflwynydd baratoi i gerdded Taith y Pererinion o Dreffynnon i Aberdaron mewn saith diwrnod fel ei sialens Plant Mewn Angen eleni.

The 'multi-cell' system is shared by several farmers who graze their sheep on the mountain's common land. At certain times of the year all the animals need to be corralled and led to a main cell in the middle of the pen - before being sorted according to their rightful owner.

"There are several small cells around the middle cell and the whole thing looks like a flower with petals around the middle," said Nigel.

"All the farmers have their own cell so they can move sheep from one to the other - for example Farm A's sheep go to Cell A. It's an easy way to sort sheep from the whole flock."

//

Mae’r system ‘aml gell’ yn cael eu defnyddio gan amaethwyr o wahanol ffermydd sy’n pori eu defaid ar dir comin y mynyddoedd. Ar adegau penodol o’r flwyddyn mae angen eu casglu i gyd o’r mynydd a'u harwain i brif gell yng nghanol y gorlen - cyn eu didoli i’r perchennog cywir.

“Rownd y gell ganol mae celloedd eraill a ma’r holl beth yn edrych fel blodau efo petalau rownd y canol,” meddai Nigel.

“Mae gan bob fferm sy’n defnyddio’r gorlan gell eu hunain so maen nhw’n gallu symud defaid, er enghraifft defaid Fferm A yn mynd i Gell A. Mae’n ffordd hawdd i ddidoli defaid allan o’r holl braidd.”

He explained that there are over 3,000 pens in north Wales, but only around three per cent have at least four cells and are considered multicellular.

"Most of the large ones have between 10 and 30 cells," said Nigel.

"There is one in Cwm Caseg - Buarth Mawr y Braich - it has 30 cells. It's massive - more than 100 meters long."

//

Eglurodd bod dros 3,000 o gorlannau yng ngogledd Cymru, ond dim ond tua thri y cant sy’n amlgellog - sy'n golygu o leiaf pedwar o gelloedd.

“Mae’r rhan fwya’ o'r rhai mawr maen nhw efo rhwng 10 o gelloedd i fyny at 30,” meddai Nigel.

“Mae un yng Nghwm Caseg - Buarth Mawr y Braich - mae ganddo 30 o gelloedd. Mae o’n massive - mae o'n fwy na 100 o fetrau o hyd.”

About a quarter of the pens in the Carneddau area are still in use today.

Farmers still follow a 300-year old routine by gathering the sheep three times a year, in July before shearing, in September to separate the ewes from the lambs and the end of October when they need to take all sheep off the mountain ready for winter.

//

Mae tua chwarter y corlannau sydd yn ardal y Carneddau yn dal i gael eu defnyddio heddiw.

Yr un patrwm sy’n bodoli ers hyd at 300 mlynedd - sef casglu deirgwaith y flwyddyn, ym mis Gorffennaf cyn cneifio, mis Medi i wahanu’r mamogiaid a’r ŵyn, a diwedd yr Hydref pan maen nhw’n clirio’r mynydd dros y gaeaf.

Nigel has now created a website for his photos and the history of the pens., dolen allanol

He also documents other agricultural buildings he finds on the mountains such as shepherds' huts and fox traps.

//

Bellach mae Nigel wedi creu gwefan sy'n rhoi hanes y corlannau, dolen allanol ac oriel gyda nifer o luniau trawiadol.

Mae o hefyd yn dogfennu adeiladau eraill amaethyddol ar y mynyddoedd - fel cytiau bugail a thrapiau llwynogod.

Nigel said: "I like seeing them - they're in the middle of nowhere so I have a lot of fun going out to find them.

"But halfway through the project I've realised how important it is to gather the information because once the farmers stop using the pens a lot disappears. It's not just the structures themselves that disappear but also the names and so on - so it's important to keep a record."

//

Meddai Nigel: “Dwi’n licio eu gweld nhw - maen nhw’n ganol nunlle felly dwi’n cael lot o hwyl yn mynd allan i weld nhw.

“Ond dwi wedi ffeindio hanner ffordd drwy’r prosiect o dynnu’r lluniau ohonyn nhw pa mor bwysig ydi o i gael y wybodaeth achos unwaith mae’r ffermwyr yn stopio defnyddio’r corlannau mae lot o’r peth yn diflannu - dim jest y strwythur o ond mae’r enwau yn diflannu ac yn y blaen ac felly mae’n bwysig i gadw’r cofnod rŵan."