THE recently restored Pont Newydd at Hafod marks a milestone in the estate’s restoration, but the project on Hafod is about much more than celebrating the past.

Lying in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains, 12 miles south east of Aberystwyth, the 200 hectare Hafod Estate has been attracting visitors for over 200 years.

Landscaped by Thomas Johnes in the late 18th century, Hafod is regarded as one of the best examples of a picturesque landscape in Europe.

Restoration has been ongoing since the late 1980s. In 1994, the Hafod Trust was formed to lead the project in partnership with Forestry Commission Wales, now Natural Resources Wales.

With the help of donations and grants from public and private bodies, over 10 miles of historical trails, bridges and other historically sensitive features have been restored, including Mrs Johnes’ garden.

Current Hafod estate manager David Newnham, is well aware of the importance of Hafod and has seen it transform into a place of benefit to a wide range of people.

“Hafod is in a sense the heart of the locality, and welcomes local groups, many of whom experience a range of disadvantages, students keen to learn traditional countryside skills and walkers seeking quiet enjoyment,” he said.

“Visitors are attracted from all over the UK and beyond, with numbers steadily increasing to over 17,000 recorded in 2016.

“The trust aims to continue the maintenance of the estate and its improvement, and we have also been reaching out to groups and volunteers, and are proud that so many people are now benefiting from places like this.”

News of the estate’s magical allure seems to be spreading.

In September this year two graduate alumni from HRH the Prince of Wales’ Royal Drawing School were in residence at the trust’s stunning holiday cottage. With use of the Hafod Church’s Ysgoldy Goch hall as a studio, the artists captured the landscape in a variety of paintings, as did their artistic predecessors over 200 years ago.

Read the full feature in this week’s south editions, on sale now