What do you think?
Rate this book
Hafren: The Wisdom of the River Severn
Afon Hafren, the river Severn, is a mighty Welsh river. She has shaped many histories and is part of many stories. In Celtic traditions, water is a source of wisdom. In a time of ecological crisis, how can we listen to the wisdom of Hafren?
Sarah Siân Chave takes us on a journey from Hafren’s source to the sea, following Hafren’s route from Pumlumon in Wales and meandering through England, before she finds her way back home to Wales and to the sea. The journey weaves together Celtic myths, historical and personal narratives as well as Welsh words and ideas.
Hafren not only speaks to the wisdom of this river, but of all rivers, encouraging readers to understand better their place as part of nature. This book will appeal to those interested in nature, sustainability and ecology, and also to those interested in Celtic and Welsh traditions, histories and myths and is evocatively illustrated by Sarah’s sister, Rachel Collis.
Sarah Siân Chave takes us on a journey from Hafren’s source to the sea, following Hafren’s route from Pumlumon in Wales and meandering through England, before she finds her way back home to Wales and to the sea. The journey weaves together Celtic myths, historical and personal narratives as well as Welsh words and ideas.
Hafren not only speaks to the wisdom of this river, but of all rivers, encouraging readers to understand better their place as part of nature. This book will appeal to those interested in nature, sustainability and ecology, and also to those interested in Celtic and Welsh traditions, histories and myths and is evocatively illustrated by Sarah’s sister, Rachel Collis.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 21, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 15, 2026
Standing alongside a 6-foot-high marker post with Tarddiad Afon Hafren (Source of the Severn) is the beginning of Chave’s journey along the course of this river. The Hafren, or as I knew it before this book, the Severn, is the longest mainland river in the British Isles, looping 220 miles in a huge semicircle. For the source of this river, she and her son are standing next to, 600m up a Welsh hillside. It isn’t a single spring pouring out crystal clear water, rather it is a series of pools and bogs where water has accumulated prior to its journey to the sea.
In the town of Llanidloes, the Hafren enters as a stream. It is swollen by tributaries and other sources, such as rain, and leaves the town as a river. On trying to find some of these tributaries, she comes across a herd of cows. Rightly so, she is wary of them, and after a short while, they lose interest in her. Whilst there, she takes time to explore the poets of the area and to sit by the river and unwind.
The river passes through Newtown, home of Laura Ashley. I have never really been into chintz, so they were never on my radar for home furnishings, but she was really farsighted and progressive in her business.
As the river moves further on through the countryside, places to cross without a bridge become harder to find. One place that does allow this is Rhyd Chwima. It has been a well-defended strategic place since before the Romans. And it is tidal, which is something that I couldn’t quite believe that the effects of the tide extend this far up the river. But thinking about it, the amount of water that gets pushed up the estuary when the tide comes in is going to have an effect far upstream.
As the Hafren reaches Shrewsbury, it begins to meander, the long, slow bends that lots of rivers form and the flow through a landscape. They pass through a town where the river has recently broken its banks and flooded. There are men all over the place clearing up the mess, and it is a timely reminder that climate change can and will affect people everywhere.
As they travel further downstream, they are reminded that the mind needs to meander and wander, too. The modern headlong rush from A to B that society demands nowadays is really not good for us.
Ironbridge is a reminder that this is where the Industrial Revolution started. And the point where climate change went from neutral to first gear.
As water companies that have their eye on profits and dividends for shareholders, pollute and degrade the environment, grassroots organisations and individuals are seeking to push back. This is a battle that hasn’t been won yet, but there is slow progress in the right direction.
Generally, I am not a fan of the aristocracy. However, when they even realise that the current policies are killing us slowly and take notice, I reluctantly have to give them a little credit. The heir to an estate that Chave talks to seems to have the urgency of the changes that he (and we) need to make. I hope that his actions and results can influence others with shockingly large land holdings.
Returning to the place where her mother taught at, brings the memories flooding in, especially when she heads back to the school to see how it is doing at the moment. It has a strong Welsh identity, and Chave reminds us that the Welsh language was only given equal status in 1993, 457 years after Henry VIII banned the language from public life.
The human way (and very much British way) is to control nature. All well and good, but with all these things, there can often be lots of unintended consequences. Straightening a river to aid navigation can cause severe flooding downstream. Chave visits the place where they are restoring the meanders. They are calling it re-wriggling, which is a delightful name.
If you spend any time alongside this river, then one of the sights that you really should see is the Severn Bore. Chave makes this one of the last things that she does on her journey.
I liked this book. It is a good companion volume to Shaping the Wild by David Elias, The Long Unwinding Road by Marc P. Jones and Seascapes and Return to My Trees by Matthew Yeomans, which I have read in the past year or so. Chave has managed to get the balance right between travel writing and history. The history adds context and depth, without becoming too dominant. I liked her conversational writing style, too, attentive without being too overbearing. This book is definitely worth reading if you have a soft spot for Wales. 3.5 stars
In the town of Llanidloes, the Hafren enters as a stream. It is swollen by tributaries and other sources, such as rain, and leaves the town as a river. On trying to find some of these tributaries, she comes across a herd of cows. Rightly so, she is wary of them, and after a short while, they lose interest in her. Whilst there, she takes time to explore the poets of the area and to sit by the river and unwind.
The river passes through Newtown, home of Laura Ashley. I have never really been into chintz, so they were never on my radar for home furnishings, but she was really farsighted and progressive in her business.
As the river moves further on through the countryside, places to cross without a bridge become harder to find. One place that does allow this is Rhyd Chwima. It has been a well-defended strategic place since before the Romans. And it is tidal, which is something that I couldn’t quite believe that the effects of the tide extend this far up the river. But thinking about it, the amount of water that gets pushed up the estuary when the tide comes in is going to have an effect far upstream.
As the Hafren reaches Shrewsbury, it begins to meander, the long, slow bends that lots of rivers form and the flow through a landscape. They pass through a town where the river has recently broken its banks and flooded. There are men all over the place clearing up the mess, and it is a timely reminder that climate change can and will affect people everywhere.
As they travel further downstream, they are reminded that the mind needs to meander and wander, too. The modern headlong rush from A to B that society demands nowadays is really not good for us.
Ironbridge is a reminder that this is where the Industrial Revolution started. And the point where climate change went from neutral to first gear.
As water companies that have their eye on profits and dividends for shareholders, pollute and degrade the environment, grassroots organisations and individuals are seeking to push back. This is a battle that hasn’t been won yet, but there is slow progress in the right direction.
Generally, I am not a fan of the aristocracy. However, when they even realise that the current policies are killing us slowly and take notice, I reluctantly have to give them a little credit. The heir to an estate that Chave talks to seems to have the urgency of the changes that he (and we) need to make. I hope that his actions and results can influence others with shockingly large land holdings.
Returning to the place where her mother taught at, brings the memories flooding in, especially when she heads back to the school to see how it is doing at the moment. It has a strong Welsh identity, and Chave reminds us that the Welsh language was only given equal status in 1993, 457 years after Henry VIII banned the language from public life.
The human way (and very much British way) is to control nature. All well and good, but with all these things, there can often be lots of unintended consequences. Straightening a river to aid navigation can cause severe flooding downstream. Chave visits the place where they are restoring the meanders. They are calling it re-wriggling, which is a delightful name.
If you spend any time alongside this river, then one of the sights that you really should see is the Severn Bore. Chave makes this one of the last things that she does on her journey.
I liked this book. It is a good companion volume to Shaping the Wild by David Elias, The Long Unwinding Road by Marc P. Jones and Seascapes and Return to My Trees by Matthew Yeomans, which I have read in the past year or so. Chave has managed to get the balance right between travel writing and history. The history adds context and depth, without becoming too dominant. I liked her conversational writing style, too, attentive without being too overbearing. This book is definitely worth reading if you have a soft spot for Wales. 3.5 stars
October 30, 2025
A short but lovely book on all things River Severn.
Sarah writes very humbly and beautifully about her sojourns all along the course of the Severn from its source at Pumlumon to the estuary and out to sea in Bristol. The writing feels free and easy which translates into an effortless read.
I really enjoyed this one, especially having visited some of the places she mentions.
5 stars
Sarah writes very humbly and beautifully about her sojourns all along the course of the Severn from its source at Pumlumon to the estuary and out to sea in Bristol. The writing feels free and easy which translates into an effortless read.
I really enjoyed this one, especially having visited some of the places she mentions.
5 stars
September 23, 2025
I know little about the Severn, other than occasionally glimpsing it on trips to see my daughter and son in law as it flows through Shrewsbury, Ironbridge and Bridgnorth so this was something of a journey of discovery for me. Sarah Sian Chave traces the river from its source in the hills above Aberystwyth to its rendezvous with the sea in the Bristol Channel. Using the river’s Welsh name, Hafren, she traces the rich mythology associated with flowing water in general and this river in particular, and weaves in themes of nature, history, agriculture and industrial development and exploitation as well as her personal and family ties to Hafren and the land through which it flows. Particularly interesting are the often hidden links that she uncovers between Welsh and English culture.
September 1, 2025
A fascinating personal response to the Hafren, aka the River Severn, with something for everyone.
Following the course of the river from its source just outside Aberystwyth, Sarah Chave's narrative Includes Welsh mythology and Welsh and English social history, as well as geography and natural history, environmentalism, and family history.
Overall it is a thoughtful, philosophical work, acknowledging and mourning the impact of industrialization and climate change, but also an effective cry for positive action going forward. While nostalgic for what we have lost, it is ultimately constructive, as evidenced by the following quote:
"Pastoralism can provoke feelings of nostalgia, a yearning for an unchanging utopian idyll, but it can, instead, be a approached in a different way - as a challenge to care for and protect the wider natural world".
The author cites and embraces Rupert Reed's argument in favour of "thrutopias" to "encourage us to live our dreams in the present where we can, change things where we cannot, and strive together towards building a more caring world for all".
Illustrated with a route map of the river to give the reader their bearings, and gentle black and white drawings by Rachel Elinor Collis, the book also boasts an evocative, slightly dream-like cover illustration by Andy Ward. All in all it's a slick and beautiful package, published by the University of Wales' imprint, Calon press, which gives it the stamp of authority.
A great gift for anyone who loves any part of the Hafren/Severn, whether Welsh or English - there's something in there to satisfy all kinds of readers.
Following the course of the river from its source just outside Aberystwyth, Sarah Chave's narrative Includes Welsh mythology and Welsh and English social history, as well as geography and natural history, environmentalism, and family history.
Overall it is a thoughtful, philosophical work, acknowledging and mourning the impact of industrialization and climate change, but also an effective cry for positive action going forward. While nostalgic for what we have lost, it is ultimately constructive, as evidenced by the following quote:
"Pastoralism can provoke feelings of nostalgia, a yearning for an unchanging utopian idyll, but it can, instead, be a approached in a different way - as a challenge to care for and protect the wider natural world".
The author cites and embraces Rupert Reed's argument in favour of "thrutopias" to "encourage us to live our dreams in the present where we can, change things where we cannot, and strive together towards building a more caring world for all".
Illustrated with a route map of the river to give the reader their bearings, and gentle black and white drawings by Rachel Elinor Collis, the book also boasts an evocative, slightly dream-like cover illustration by Andy Ward. All in all it's a slick and beautiful package, published by the University of Wales' imprint, Calon press, which gives it the stamp of authority.
A great gift for anyone who loves any part of the Hafren/Severn, whether Welsh or English - there's something in there to satisfy all kinds of readers.
March 10, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I worked as a river ecologist for some years, so, in any case, the subject matter was appealing. On top of that, I lived in Gloucester for a while, so I enjoyed reading about that place, as well as some the other places in the book which I cycled through a long time ago. I had never heard that Double Gloucester cheese traditionally gets its colouring from Galium verum, so that was very interesting. That cheese cannot be beaten for making cheese sauce from!
The book is very eclectic and includes all sorts of different aspects of the river's history, landscape, culture and ecology. That makes for an entertaining read. It is also written in an easy-to-read style (though I was less of a fan of putting metric/imperial equivalents in quite so consistently). The way that the author weaves her personal experiences exploring the river with the factual narrative carries the reader along. The drawings at the beginning of each chapter are also really nice.
In summary, if you have any interest in rivers or the local history of those parts of Wales and western England, I would thoroughly recommend this book.
The book is very eclectic and includes all sorts of different aspects of the river's history, landscape, culture and ecology. That makes for an entertaining read. It is also written in an easy-to-read style (though I was less of a fan of putting metric/imperial equivalents in quite so consistently). The way that the author weaves her personal experiences exploring the river with the factual narrative carries the reader along. The drawings at the beginning of each chapter are also really nice.
In summary, if you have any interest in rivers or the local history of those parts of Wales and western England, I would thoroughly recommend this book.
April 25, 2026
This book offers many fascinating insights into the history and environment along the River Severn. I was less keen on the details of walking or sitting by the River, although I am sure for other readers this might help the narrative flow.
January 6, 2026
A lovely book - lots of information, depressing climate change facts
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews