THE THREE GOLDEN CUPS SOUTHERNDOWN, & THE FARMERS ST BRIDES THURS 9th JULY
We went a bit further east than normal to dance at these two great venues in the Vale of Glamorgan on a blisteringly hot Thursday evening.
The Three Golden Cups had a large crowd of people enjoying the sunny evening and the Open Mic Session which was in mid flow when we arrived. We danced under the very large canvas canopy where it was a little cooler, performing about five dances that included Postman’s Knock, Valentines, & Speed the Plough to Kev & Paul’s melodeon playing with the latter playing his box, (it’s new and shiny!) for the first time in nearly 35 years!
We performed just the one set as the Open Mic compère was keen to keep the singers he had lined up occupied, but this is definitely a place to return to as the crowd watching us were very appreciative, and the ale on sale was eminently drinkable too!

The Farmers at St Brides is a short drive away and is a pub offering Turkish Mezze cuisine as well as traditional pub services. There was one couple enjoying the food there but sadly no one else so we took the opportunity to dance a relaxed short set after Claire & Alex bought us four portions of chips together with mayo & ketchup sauces. Very nice and very appreciated and the ton of salt that Geoff poured on them no doubt restored our depleted electrolyte levels!
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We danced Nantgarw Y Gaseg Eira with people dancing out of their normal positions, and Lichfield Sherrif’s Ride. Curly Boar went slightly wrong with one of the arrows having a base of four rather than three people in it. Louis’ partner joined us for an Adderbury dance. A solitary motorcyclist who had seen us earlier at The Cups and been impressed by what he saw, came to watch us.
We drew an end to the evening, having a bit of a natter, and agreeing that we must come out this way again as this had been a thoroughly enjoyable excursion.
Photos were all taken by Claire.

PONTARDAWE INN & ANCIENT BRITON THURS 2ND JULY
It was a warm and sultry night when Sweyn’s Ey Morris ventured north up the Swansea Valley to demonstrate our skills amongst the brave and the good of Pontardawe and Ynyswen. Our first stop was Pontardawe Inn (aka The Gwachel), where we managed to clear some fabulously flat dancing space in the beer garden by moving a few tables. We didn’t quite clear the pub though, and several people paid us compliments after our dancing was over and threatened to follow us north for further entertainment.

Our usual musicians all had better offers this evening, so tunes were performed by Keith and Di as a duo, with occasional forays into solo playing so each could get a spot of exercise.. Dances performed included Lads a Bunchum, Banbury Bill, Banks of the Lea, Valentines, British Grenadiers, and with Bonny Green Garters to top things off nicely. All went swimmingly until Erin decided to remain stationary in the middle of Banbury Bill, swiftly followed by Alex D doing the same. Heck, these dances are supposed to be symmetrical, right?! Much giggling ensued and Di nearly dropped her fiddle at one point, she was so caught up in the fun. And it’s always good to have fun.

A quick drive further up the valley to the Ancient Briton saw us inspecting the outside spaces for the best dance spot. A fabulous open-sided tent with benches underneath looked promising (solo jig on the table, anyone?!), but in the end we settled on a flat(ish) grassy knoll just outside. Much of our dancing is done outside throughout the summer and we’re no strangers to bit of communing with nature, so we felt pretty at home. However, on this occasion the warm and sultry night caused the local midge population to be extremely over-friendly, and it was only with the aid of much handkerchief waving (thank goodness for handkerchiefs) and improvised ‘smoke machines’ that we all survived the munching. Still, we managed to fit in a decent set of dances which were watched (and applauded) by several people who also braved the open air, including Vandals, Speed the Plough, The Curly Boar, Riggs of Doom and another bash at BGG for good measure.
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Finally conceding defeat and that the midges may have won that evening’s battle, we retired to the pub’s inside spaces for a pint of cold beer and a natter. Those of us keen for the warm and sultry night to continue, later made it to the Railway Inn in Killay – just in time for lasties. All in all an enjoyable tour and a good range of dances were aired. The winner of the sweepstake on who had the largest number of midge bites in the morning remains to be seen…
A big thanks to both pubs for hosting us, to all musicians and dancers who made it happen, and to everyone who watched and supported us. Thank you.
Write up by Di and photos taken by Claire, Erin and Alex.