The taste is metallic, medicinal and faintly milky — and I’m struggling to detect any of the health benefits promised by the water that once attracted tens of thousands of visitors.
Surrounded by lush woods of oak, ash, rowan and hazel, I reach down to the marble fountain in Rock Park, Llandrindod Wells, fill my water bottle and take smaller sips, hoping this might release its magic.
Victorian and Edwardian city-dwellers, including Edward Elgar, Neville Chamberlain and David Lloyd George, used to flock to this 40 square-mile region — encompassing Llandrindod Wells, Builth Wells, Llangammarch Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells — hoping to benefit from the restorative powers of the chalybeate and barium springs.
Leave a Reply