Welsh Folk Tales of Coast and Sea

by Peter Stevenson

Just ask those mountains over there.

They have heard these stories before.

They have witnessed the floods.

Through the travels of a Mesolithic Marsh Girl, Peter Stevenson tells the folk tales of the sea along the Welsh Coast Path. From bridge-dwelling bwbach and drunken mermaids, to swan girls, salmon children and the pirate Leekie Porridge of Tenby – follow Môrwen on a journey that blends past and present and explores the social and environmental change that is carved into the Welsh coastline.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[beyond_blue_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A treasure trove of Welsh sea-lore and history gathered from the Welsh coast. Full of Welsh mermaids, pirates, witches, birds, characters from real-life and the Mabinogi. Gorgeous black and white illustrations.

Found the text slightly bitty (I think it works better as a 'dip into' book rather than one to be read cover-to-cover). Tying the tales together with story about Môrwen is a lovely idea but inconsistently applied.

Still, really valuable to have all of these Welsh stories together in one book.

[Megan Burton-Dickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the storytelling employed by Peter within this book. The switch between the folklore and the tale of the marsh girl the story follows is seamless and perfect.