Talks & Walks

Lose yourselves amongst the thinkers and the dreamers. With support from Literature Wales and Seren Book Publishers, we present a fine medley of authors, speakers and poets in the Seren Barn. 

Many of their works have been influenced by nature and the unique, inspiring landscape of this beautiful coastal area. Listen to talks by knowledgeable naturalists and academics, debate current issues in conservation, sustainability and medicine or take time out to watch a nature documentary film. 

“I’ve sat at the back of the Barn and been blessed with amazing talks pretty much every day of every festival so far 👏🏻”

“All talks I attended were very informative and I haven’t been to a festival before that offers talks I’d like to go to as much as the bands! I Loved them”

Walks – Put your walking shoes on and immerse yourself in nature, in ways you may never have done before! Join our practitioners on a series of guided walks that teach you how to forage, learn about the fungi kingdom and engage in sensory mindfulness through our sunlit forest and unique coastal habitat. 

From appreciating the abundance of nutritious natural foods in the wild to reconnecting your mind and body through the senses, these experiences will replenish your taste buds, revive your ways of thinking and restore your soul! 

Talks & Walks Lineup:

Friday

Dr Brian Briggs

Nature & Science

Brian Briggs (Stornoway) – Shags and Ducks and Rock’n’Roll

Brian will play a selection of amazing bird songs from his Avian Jukebox, with a special emphasis on birds you can hear from the trails around Love Trails Festival, and teach you how to identify them from their songs and calls. He will share fascinating secrets of bird communication and talk about the changing soundscapes of our natural environment, and describe how the sounds of nature have influenced his songwriting as frontman of the band Stornoway.

Leah Salter

Nature & Science

Saturday

Daniel Morden

Spoken Word

🔮 Professional teller of traditional tales Daniel Morden joins our festival for the first time this year! Join him in the Mabinogi world as he explores nature and poetry through the iconic story of Taliesin… He is a fantastic, renowned storyteller, author and podcaster, also found in The Devil’s Violin project with Sarah Moody and Olly-Wilson Dickson from trio Alaw! 🔮

Leanne Cullen-Unsworth

Nature & Science

🌊 Leanne is one of the original founders and current CEO of Project Seagrass, as well as named one of the BBCs top 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world! In her talk, she explores what we can do to help against the destruction of native seagrass meadows and to protect what’s left and put back some of what has been lost… 🌊

Sarah Morgan

Spoken Word

Dr Rob Thomas

Nature & Science

Sunday

Will Millard

Nature & Science

Explorer, writer and presenter Will Millard, brings you ‘The Magic of Water’ – a children’s talk all about the magical beings that inhabit our freshwater environments. He will be bringing tanks with live specimens (native & tropical) and telling the story of what lives in our watery world and why it matters! 🐠

Katrina Naomi

Spoken Word

New to the festival, wild swimmer and poet Katrina Naomi shares her poetry and experience of swimming every day for a year in Battery Rocks, Cornwall! Her collection of poems is a thoughtful meditation on nature, risk, swimming and the sea; encountering a wide range of topics including issues of fear, strength, vulnerability, climate emergency and self realization 🏊

Dr Elizabeth Chadwick

Nature & Science

Head of the Cardiff University Otter Project (CUOP), Elizabeth Chadwick’s research focuses on freshwater aquatic systems, particularly the Eurasian otter and British amphibians! Using the otter as a model species, she addresses fundamental questions about population biology and freshwater systems 🦦

Phil Cope

Spoken Word

Phil Cope is a writer, photographer and poet, with a series of groundbreaking books published by Seren and Parthian on the oldest music, holy wells and sacred springs! Phil’s talk will share some of his poems with us and maybe encourage some new ones to be written ✍️

Filkin’s Drift

Arts

Filkin’s Drift are not only incredible musicians, but they are also making a change in the world! Come watch and listen to their journey about walking the Welsh coastline to combat sustainable gigging, all while fundraising for Live Music Now. They have lots to share and lots of supportive followers by their side 👣

Mike Parker

Nature & Science

Mike Parker is a writer and broadcaster based in mid Wales whose travel writing takes him all over Europe! His latest publication ‘All The Wide Border’ explores the Wales-England border – as a line on the map, an ongoing history, a thing in our heads and as something that roared so unexpectedly into focus in the pandemic 🌍

Martin Hawes

Spoken Word