Time between Times Storytelling with Owen Staton. The Beast of Pontrhydyfen
Time Between Times Storytelling with Owen StatonShow Notes
The Beast of Pontrhydyfen Welcome back to the firepit at the heart of the forest, my friends. Tonight’s story is a little different. Because this is not simply a tale I found in an old book or discovered in some forgotten newspaper. This is a story that takes me back to my own childhood, to the village of Pontrhydyfen in the Afan Valley in the early 1980s. I was at school there when rumours began to spread about something strange moving through the hills around Tonmawr and Pontrhydyfen. A great cat. Something wild. Something that, according to the stories, had no business being there. For us children, the creature quickly became the talk of the playground. We whispered about sightings, footprints and enormous cats hiding in the woods. And at times, we were even told not to play outside. I remember the feeling of looking towards those dark Welsh hills and wondering what might be hiding amongst the trees. Decades later, reports from the period would tell of large cats seen around Tonmawr, including a remarkable series of alleged photographs. Some witnesses believed they had seen a leopard or puma. Others suggested more ordinary explanations. But perhaps the truth isn’t quite the point. Because when you are a child, a mystery can become part of the landscape itself. And sometimes, long after the story has faded from the playground, you can still look towards those hills and remember… What if it really was there? So tonight, draw a little closer to the fire. Let the mist settle over the Afan Valley. Listen for the river beneath the old bridge. And keep your eyes on the dark hills above Pontrhydyfen… Because somewhere out there, perhaps, something is still watching. Welcome… to the Time Between Times. Nos da, my friends. Owen x www.welshstoryteller.com www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton www.patreon.com/owenstaton7
More from Time Between Times Storytelling with Owen Staton
Some stories refuse to disappear. In this episode of Time between Times, I take you deep into the lonely mountains of Cardiganshire and the tragic story of Catrin Gwyn — a young woman who vanished during a storm in 1705, leaving behind nothing but a fragment of red cloth beside a lonely bog. But Catrin’s story did not end there. They said she returned as White Catti of the Grove Cave, a pale figure seen amongst the mist and ruined shepherd’s cottages, leading travellers towards the river and the darkness. And somewhere in those mountains, they say, she may still be walking. So come closer to the fire, leave the worries of the day behind, and listen carefully… Because if you hear footsteps following you through the mist… whatever you do, don’t look back. Time between Times storytelling with Owen Staton www.welshstoryteller.com Welsh Storyteller Support me on Ko-fi www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton
BWGAN YR HAFOD — THE GHOST OF HAFOD Tonight, we step into the darkness of an old Welsh house where stones appeared from nowhere, potatoes flew through the air and a great wooden table was hurled against the ceiling. But what was haunting Hafod Uchtryd? Come closer to the fire and enter the strange and unsettling world of Bwgan yr Hafod — one of Wales’ most extraordinary tales of the supernatural. Leave your worries behind, my friends… and listen carefully. Time between Times storytelling with Owen Staton Listen wherever you get your podcasts www.welshstoryteller.com www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton www.patreon.com/owenstaton7 Tickets for The Ghost Light https://pontardaweartscentre.com/shows/the-ghost-light-with-owen-staton/
Some roads should perhaps never be walked alone after dark. In this episode of Time between Times, I bring you two unsettling tales from the old roads of Glamorgan. A man walking between Bridgend and Cardiff who suddenly finds himself carrying something he cannot see… And a young girl from the Neath area who realises that something strange is following her home through the darkness. Two encounters. Two lonely roads. And two things that perhaps should never have been there. So come and sit with me at the firepit at the heart of the forest, leave the worries of the day behind and listen carefully… Because sometimes, my friends, the footsteps behind us aren’t our own. Time between Times storytelling with Owen Staton www.welshstoryteller.com Buy me a Ko-fi www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton Become a Patreon www.patreon.com/owenstaton7 Find Time between Times wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you, as always, for coming and sitting beside the fire with me. Take care, my friends. Owen x
THE TONDU SPECTRE Something once walked the dark roads around Tondu… In this chilling episode of Time between Times, I tell the extraordinary story of the Tondu Spectre — a terrifying, death-like figure said to have appeared in 1904 and physically attacked a man on a lonely road. Was it a ghost, a hoax, or something far stranger? I’m also joined by writer and researcher Rachel Taylor, who has been researching the ghosts and haunted history of Bridgend. Together we delve into the stories, places and folklore that have given this corner of South Wales such a rich supernatural history. Turn down the lights… Come closer to the fire… And listen carefully. Because in the darkness around Tondu… something was waiting. Welcome to the Time between Times, my friends. www.welshstoryteller.com www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton www.patreon.com/owenstaton7 Rachel Taylors Substack " Hauntings and History" https://thehauntedhistorian.substack.com/p/have-you-seen-the-ghosts-yet?r=56bicy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Thanks to Rachel Taylor for the conversation Take care friends Nos da
The Story of Me – Just Enjoy Wrestling Sometimes you don’t need a great plan. Sometimes you just need to sit down, have a ramble, talk about life, getting through the day, the things that matter, and the things that probably don’t. In this episode, I talk about myself, my thoughts, and where I find myself today. There’s no great wisdom here — just me, talking. And, as always, I finish with one of my favourite tales. So pull up a chair, settle in and just enjoy the rambling. Just enjoy wrestling, friends. If you enjoy what I do and would like to support the storytelling, you can find me here: www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton