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Sian Lloyd in Welsh Patagonia
We were delighted when the Travel Editor of The Mail on Sunday asked us if we'd like to go to Patagonia. As a girl growing up in Wales, I had always been aware of a Welsh-speaking community in far-off South America. It seemed so impossibly remote that I never dreamed I would have a chance to visit it. More recently, the BBC and S4C have produced a number of excellent TV programmes on life in the Welsh colony in South America and it has become a little more familiar to all of us. Even so, my husband Jonathan and I wanted to go and see for ourselves to try and get an understanding of what the place is like, why Welsh people went there in the first place and what's happening with the Welsh language and Welsh culture. And, while we were there, we loved the idea of sexy Buenos Aires and the dramatic scenery of famous glaciers and craggy peaks in the Southern Andes.
British travel company, Last Frontiers organised an exciting itinerary for us and, surrounded by the snows in the UK in January, we jetted off to the South American summer.
Our itinerary was, briefly:
| Day 1 |
Fly overnight on British Airways to Buenos Aires, via Sao Paolo in Brazil. |
| Day 2-3 |
Sightseeing in Buenos Aires. |
| Day 4-9 |
Welsh Patagonia. |
| Day 10 |
Crossing the Andes into Chile. |
| Day 11-14 |
In the Southern Andes in Torres del Paine, Chile. |
| Day 15-16 |
At the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Argentina. |
| Day 17-18 |
Relaxation in Buenos Aires. |
| Day 19 |
Fly back to London. |
The description of our whole journey appears in the Mail on Sunday. These pages describe solely our trip to Welsh Patagonia.
Although we were only in Welsh Patagonia for 6 days, we were captivated by the dramatic beauty of the place, enchanted by the people and bowled over by the hospitality we received. We were particularly happy to see so much evidence of the use the Welsh language and to feel so much confidence about its future.
If you plan to go to Welsh Patagonia at any time and have a Welsh theme in mind, you'd do well to consider planning your visit to coincide with one or more of the following Welsh events:
Welsh Calendar in Chubut
| Mid-January |
Esquel |
Annual sheep show and auction |
| February 25 |
Esquel |
Birthday celebrations |
| March 1 |
Trelew |
St. David's Day celebrations |
| Early April |
Gaiman |
Valley Agricultural Show |
| April 30 |
Trevelin |
Festival of the Plebiscite and annual Eisteddfod |
| July 28 |
Puerto Madryn |
Gŵyl y Glaniad and Mimosa Eisteddfod |
| August 14 |
Gaiman |
Birthday celebrations |
| Early September |
Gaiman |
Youth Eisteddfod |
| October 20 |
Trelew |
Birthday celebrations |
| Late October |
Trelew |
Chubut Eisteddfod |
| Early November |
Esquel |
Annual cattle show and auction |
| November 24 |
Trevelin |
Annual horse ride to Craig Goch |
| November 25 |
Trevelin |
Birthday celebrations |
Please click on any of the following links to continue.
Links:
The Mail on Sunday Article (external link)
Ysgol yr Hendre, Trelew
Welsh Education in Patagonia
Rhys Meirion in Patagonia 2010
Our Trip in Welsh Patagonia Day by Day
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 Annual sheep show Esquel mid January
 Birthday celebrations, Esquel 25 February
 Mapuche Rodeo, Esquel - mid-March
Valley agricultural show,Gaiman early April
 Welsh children at the Plebiscite Ceremon 30 April
Annual ride to Craig Goch, Trevelin 24 November
 Trevelin's birthday 25 November.
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