DAROWEN

Is thought to mean 'Owain's Oaks', and Owain Glyndwr's army stationed in Machynlleth may have used the surrounding hills for refuge. The area surrounding Darowen was an important pre-christian site. Three standing stones, of which two remain, mark a 'Noddfa' or sanctuary within which the village was situated. The church of St. Tudur, founded in the 7th century, has a circular churchyard suggesting an ancient site and the saint is assumed to be buried there. The register of baptisms, marriages and burials dates back to 1633, and the chalice, still in use, to 1575.

DOLANOG

Dolanog is a very small village where the majority of the population has Welsh as their first language. It sits between a hill called Allt Dolanog and the river Vyrnwy. The name comes from two Welsh words 'dol' and 'eog' meaning 'the dale of the salmon'. Every autumn there is a spectacle of salmon trying to leap the waterfall on the Vyrnwy. Dolanog is renowned for its association with Welsh hymn writer Ann Griffiths who is buried in nearby Llanfihangel. The Ann Griffiths Memorial Chapel is one of the principal buildings in the village. Water is supplied by a well on the Allt and during particularly dry summers has had to be replenished by Severn Trent Water.

DOLFOR

Dolfor meaning 'big meadow' sits on the main Manchester to South Wales trunk road. The village pub was formerly a resting place for drovers and is believed to have been an inn since the 1300's. Dolfor has been very fortunate in its benefactors, the Free church was built in 1823 on land donated by the Williams family of Old Court, the parish church is on land given by the Reverend Cheese in 1851 and the old school was given back to the nephew of the original donor, a Mr Beddoes, who then gave it back to the village for use as a village hall. The present school was opened in 1952.

GUILSFIELD

The old name for Guilsfield is 'Cegidfa' and signifies a place abounding in Hemlock. The parish Church is dedicated to St. Aelhaiarn and there has been a church on the same site since before AD 600. Memorials to those who died in the first and second world wars are located in the church and there is also a war memorial in the cemetery. In a little dell nearby is an ancient holy well where before the Second World War, it was said to be customary for local children to make a pilgrimage on Trinity Sunday.

KNIGHTON

Knighton straddles the Welsh/English border and has therefore seen many a battle and much lawlessness in its time. In the 8th century, the English King Offa of Mercia built his famous "dyke" from north to south wales and Knighton is virtually the halfway point in its 170 miles. The town's name is Welsh is Tref-y-Clawdd, literally translated as "The town on the Dyke". Two castle mounds remain in the town. On Bryn-y-Castell are the remains of an early motte and bailey fortification whilst at the highest point in the town are the remains of a stone castle built by the Normans. Throughout most of the twentieth century Knighton was a busy market town, the home of a large agricultural company and tyre maunfacturing company. Its railway station was also a major employer. Today nothing remains of its busy commercial past, but its Offa's Dyke Centre still gives the town an important base from which to encourage tourists.