Parishioners from eight churches will be ‘beating the bounds’ in an ancient custom this weekend (June 7-8).
About 40 people from the Dan-yr-Epynt Benefice, near Brecon, will walk around the 24 mile parish boundary over Saturday and Sunday in a custom called “beating the bounds” which dates back centuries.
En route they will visit all eight churches and be waved off by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Davies.
They will be led by their vicar, Revd Caroline Owen. She says, “This year the Benefice will be combining a Whitsun Walk with the ancient ceremony of ‘beating the bounds’ – in former times when maps were rare, members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands. We’ll be stopping at each of the eight churches for prayers and blessings for the church, the land and the community – and for refreshments!”
The walkers will be leaving Upper Chapel at 10.30am on Saturday (7th June) and walking to Penpont. On Sunday (8th of June), after a celebration of Pentecost at Aberyscir Church at 9.15am, the Bishop will wave them off from Penpont Church at 10.15am, and they will walk from there to Merthyr Cynog.
This will be a sponsored walk for the churches – sponsorship and walkers very welcome to join in and do as much or as little of the walk as they can manage.
The eight churches in the Benefice are: SS Cynidr and Mary, Aberyscir; Parish Church, Bettws Penpont; St David, Trallwng; St Michael, Llanfihangel Nant-Bran; St Cynog, Dyffryn Honddu; St Maelog, Llandefaelog Fach; St Michael, Llanfihangel Fechan; and St Cynog, Merthyr Cynog.
