Arthurian legends
Legend has it that Arthur dispatched the Knights of the Round Table to hunt for the Holy Grail, a full six hundred years prior to the First Crusade. Among that number would be the much famed Lancelot, who takes part in the Grail Quest. The rumour that the Nanteos Cup is the true grail further links mid-Wales to the legends of King Arthur and this ancient religious quest that continues to inspire modern interpretations.
Mention the word ‘Dyfi’ to any mountain biker and they’ll no doubt think of the bike park that bears the name, enduro racing and Hardline. Maybe even Wales Rally GB, Led Zeppelin or low-flying military aircraft at a push. (Few would realise). However, unless they’ve ventured into a slate tunnel on a strange semi-aquatic train above Corris into King Arthur’s Labyrinth... that the upper Dyfi Valley is the site where Arthurian legend is said to have played out.
There does seem to be little taken as fact about Arthurian myth and legend, with many scholars still disagreeing on the entirety of the many works dedicated to the man who seemingly defeated the Saxons to become King of the Britons, and then went about extending his empire overseas.