Cydweli and Llangstaffen - castles, wells and dolmens!

Kidwelly - famous for its castle, its Welsh Boudica, Gwenllian  and of course:

 Hen fenyw fach Cydweli Yn gwerthu losin du, Yn rhifo deg am ddimai Ond unarddeg i mi. O dyna'r newydd gorau ddaeth i mi, i mi Yn rhifo deg am ddimai Ond unarddeg i mi

(The dear old lady of Kidwelly. A seller of sweets is she, Counts out ten for a halfpenny. But always eleven for me. That was very good news for me, for me. Counts out ten for a halfpenny. But always eleven for me.)

 The castle is very well preserved - fortunate really as the sky was an ominous grey and it looked like we'd be in need of shelter. Being the local centre of justice the castle has a prison - and even a high security wing! This consisted of a hole in the floor into which the unfortunate prisoner was despatched. Shaped like a bottle there was no way out other than attempting to scale the smooth stone walls and even then the top would have been barred. Not a pleasant fate.

Being so well preserved there are an abundance of towers to climb and rooms to explore as well as an aerial walkway with views down over the town.







However one castle was not ebough and it was on to Llansteffan for lunch and a second castle.

This one is much smaller than Cydweli and not in such good condition but strangely I like it far better. Perhaps the views over the beach made the difference? 

Having seen the castle we walked around the back in search of the holy well of St Anthony. Hidden behind a wooden doorway in the wall it is a calm and peaceful place. Named for the hermit  Antwn it is said to have been a place of healing since 6CE.










Time to head back  but it seemed a shame to head straight back to the main road. The other places visited today were easy to find so we wanted a challenge! Spotting a burial tomb nearby we set off to find it.


Twlc y Filiast is quite well hidden. Although it is visible from the path, the path itself is not signposted as one and we did a complete circuit  of the nearby village before working out just where t must be, parking the car and setting off.

Definitely worth it though. A capstone and a couple of uprights, the setting is just perfect in a patch of woodland next to a stream

Cardiff Castle - a monument to Victorian excess

New laptop is now up and working - can receive email but strangely can't send it! Oh well a job for another day.

I've had a few days away with some friends in Cardiff and although I've visited many many times before, the castle is so taken for granted it has probably been 20 years since I've been in. Neither of my friends had ever been so it seemed a good way to pass Sunday morning. Firstly I apologise for the photo quality. This wasn't a planned photo excursion so I didn't have my camera. These were taken on a fairly basic camera phone with no zoom or other refinements.

Firstly ( of course!) the obligatory stone circle. This is  the Gorsedd circle - a modern circle, erected in 1978 in Bute Park right under the walls of the castle. Dreadful picture but the best of a bad bunch!

The Normans reused the old Roman site and build a motte with a moat around it and a Keep on top. Originally wooden it was eventually constructed in stone.






Although the city with all the usual city noises presses up against the walls, the atomosphere inside is curiously peaceful.

 The climb up into the keep is by means of some steep stairs but the view over the mountains of South Wales and the modern city of Cardiff ins well worth it. Mostly now a shell, some medieval graffiti survives as well as a garde robe ( a lavatory which empties directly into the moat from a great height!)

The castle walls ( some Roman parts remaining) are hollow and were used during WW2 as an air raid shelter for the people of Cardiff. Even on a bright sunny day the corridor was cold and dank. Must have been far far worse to be there in the cold and the dark with the fear of bombs dropping.



The old castle is only part of the story. Also part of the complex is a large Gothic mansion built by the Bute family who amassed a huge fortune from the sale of coal and are largely responsible for the emergency of Cardiff as a major city. The house too has been enlarged  over the years and now stands as a magnificent example of the power of money over taste. Everything possible that could be decorated with gold leaf was and it is elaborately painted and carved.

 My camera couldn't possibly do justice to this jaw dropping interior but here are a few interior shots which will give the general idea.

This is the Arab room ceiling. A small octagonal room used as a sitting room or occasionally as a guest bedroom.

This is the over mantle in the library, the oldest part of the house. The central figure is holding a scroll inscribed with runes.

Finally here is some detail of the carving in the small dining room. The carved wooden frieze extends much of the way around the room and each scroll holds an exquistely carved bird. As far as it is possible to see they are all different.

Underneath are hand painted butterflies, again they are beautifully executed.

In search of King Arthur

Without any success I hasten to add! Geoffrey of Monmouth has a lot to answer for but I guess the local tourist industry is grateful.

Tintagel, whilst a beautiful setting, has not a shred of evidence to support its claim to the legendary king but that doesn't stop the town capitalising on the possibility of course! Another Green World which is Peter Pracownik's shop and studio is well worth a visit if you like fantasy art and the Old Post Office is quite interesting. Otherwise just head down to the coastline and castle itself.

The scenery is amazing. No photographs do justice to it. The castle itself was built on the headland and the complex spreads on to the adjacent island.

Built around 1230   but with evidence of habitation dating back to Roman times the castle is now completely ruined.


It is a steep walk down to the castle ( you can pay an additional charge and be ferried by landrover) and once you are there you are faced with  endless flights of steep steps back up but the views are worth it.


 Merlin's Cave is accessible from the beach ( more steps!) and the long climb up to the top of the island is rewarded by the remains of Edward of Cornwall's castle.










Little is still standing, some of that being rebuilt aswell but the floor plans of mainly rooms/dwelllings can still be seen

A walk in the Woods

Today it was  Old Wardor Castle - a 14th Century ruin on the edge of Wiltshire and Dorset now in the care of English Heritage. Very pretty, very well manicured and pretty busy with the Sunday picnic crowd.





We had a quick look around and then headed off into the woods where we had them pretty much to ourselves.

Spring is definitely well underway with a noticeable change from a few weeks ago.

The blackthorn is starting to go over, the hawthorn starting to come out and the path sides are thick with spring flowers. I counted lesser celandines, windflowers. deadnettles, violets,  and shepherd's purse as well as the common dandelions. daisies and buttercups. Plenty of primroses too.

It is a lttle early for bluebells but part of the woodland was carpeted with leaves with just a few flowers starting to appear. The Ramsons were also forming a deep carpet in another part of the wood but the leaves are starting to mature and looked a little tough so they were left in peace to scent the air with garlic.

Leaving Wardour Castle we drove back past Cley Hill  and on impulse stopped to climb it. A chalk outcrop, it has the remains of an iron age fort ( left) and some bronze age barrows on the top.





Although it looks a steep climb, rising as it does from the clay lowlands it isn't as bad as it looks and the view from the top makes the effort worthwhile.

The Bronze age "bowl" barrow.









In summer the hill is covered with chalk loving flowers and is an SSSI. Today though it was much too early for the orchids but the cowslips made a good show. It will be several weeks before we get them blooming at home.