An overactive imagination or.....

have I read too many murder mystery novels?

A nice weekend away in the Cotswolds with some friends for the last few days. The weather is quite unseasonal for almost October, far warmer than August was and a heavy sleepy haze hung over the village we parked in to start the walk.

The place was chocolate box pretty. Like going back 50 or 60 years in time and also sort of "creepy". Pretty as it was I really really wouldn't want to live there.

To add to the sense of unreality the church bell was tolling to call the villagers to the church. A steady one note dirge ringing out over the deserted village...

and an unusual church it was too.  12CE and Grade 1 listed, the tower has a "saddleback" roof. Preparations were going on around it for the Harvest Festival that was to be held in the churchyard after the service.

This really is a village of 2 churches. Barely a couple of hundred yards away is a second old church. This one has been decommissioned and stands forlornly just across the river from its more popular neighbour. It's a similar age and also Grade1 listed. The story goes that the twin churches were built by a pair of sisters who had fallen out and thus built their own place or worship. The truth is more prosaic, the river divides two separate medieval manors.


I as I said, despite its prettiness I didn't want to linger there although I couldn't really say why.

Leaving the village to start our planned walk, the walls of roadside were festooned with the berries of Woody Nightshade, Bittersweet.   It seemed appropriate somehow!

Moving out into the countryside the Bittersweet  berries gave way to ropes of berries from   Black Bryony, an equally poisonous fruit.

Miss Marple would have been quite at home here!

Dinefwr Castle

I do like castles - especially Welsh ones and this was one we hadn't visited before.


Although it is under the care of Cadw, the Welsh side of of English Heritage, the adjoining house and car park belong to the National Trust so there is a £6 parking charge unless you an NT member. Annoying. You don't even get into the house for that - another charge.

Still the castle itself is free, even to non Cadw visitors. And well worth a visit too. Originally there was a construction here built by Rhodri ap Merfyn (820–878)Given the fabulous defensive position it commands I would expect the original usage to date well back.

The current remains though are 12CE and later and have been quite heavily restored which improves the "visitor experience"

As usual with a site that doesn't have a car park 10 ft from the entrance it was very quiet.

Always fun looking down the middle of towers!

and working out where the original floors would have been

The restoration allows you to go right to the top of the towers and walk around a lot of the parapet. A chance to enjoy some really spectacular views even though it was a dull grey day.