Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tintern Abbey
For those of you with any culture, this is Tintern Abbey, a few miles above which, William Wordsworth wrote some lines.
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle is the last castle built in Wales, and one of the more grandiose ruins I've ever seen. It's not well preserved, but it's huuuuuge and with just a little imagination, you can dream yourself away to a more romantic era. Full of shit, sweat, pestilence and early death, but more romantic.
The castle was destroyed by Parliament forces in the 1640s, after being a monarchist stronghold for some time. When the King was restored, the previous owners didn't want to take up residence again and so the structure fell into further disrepair.
All pics here.
The main entrance. These are just the gatehouses.
View from the other side. The keep to the right.
The keep originally had five floors.
And an inner moat. Paranoia was a lifesaver back then.
The largest of the inner courtyards.
The old kitchen. There were two fireplaces like this and several smaller ones. I saw an estimate that at least 200 people were living here.
Grand staircase.
The Welsh must have the coolest flag in the world.
The castle was destroyed by Parliament forces in the 1640s, after being a monarchist stronghold for some time. When the King was restored, the previous owners didn't want to take up residence again and so the structure fell into further disrepair.
All pics here.
The main entrance. These are just the gatehouses.
View from the other side. The keep to the right.
The keep originally had five floors.
And an inner moat. Paranoia was a lifesaver back then.
The largest of the inner courtyards.
The old kitchen. There were two fireplaces like this and several smaller ones. I saw an estimate that at least 200 people were living here.
Grand staircase.
The Welsh must have the coolest flag in the world.
Tretower Court & Castle
Tretower court and castle was originally a wooden motte and baily castle, constructed by the Normans. Gradually the wooden structure was replaced by a stone castle, then the whole thing was more or less dropped in favor of the nice, new manor house that grew up right outside the castle in the 1400s.
I drove past and decided to turn in and have a look purely by chance, and as it's in the keep of Cadw, I got in for freeeeeeee.
All pics here.
The courtyard of the manor house.
The kitchen.
Big room upstairs.
They had bats in the ceiling.
Myfteriouf, winding path. Yef, I meant to fpell it myfteriouf.
No photoblog is complete without an ancient shitter.
From the garden. So. Much. Color.
A hedgehog wisely hunkered down when I walked across the field.
This sheep was eyeing me with fascination.
The castle. It was largely in ruins. The keep is still standing, as you can see...
... but the interior is all gone.
I bought this bottle of apple juice at £3. Imma try it out before I leave.
I drove past and decided to turn in and have a look purely by chance, and as it's in the keep of Cadw, I got in for freeeeeeee.
All pics here.
The courtyard of the manor house.
The kitchen.
Big room upstairs.
They had bats in the ceiling.
Myfteriouf, winding path. Yef, I meant to fpell it myfteriouf.
No photoblog is complete without an ancient shitter.
From the garden. So. Much. Color.
A hedgehog wisely hunkered down when I walked across the field.
This sheep was eyeing me with fascination.
The castle. It was largely in ruins. The keep is still standing, as you can see...
... but the interior is all gone.
I bought this bottle of apple juice at £3. Imma try it out before I leave.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Cilgerran Castle
Only really done one touristy thing today. I'm a lazy bastard, shut up. Drove down from Aberystwyth, which is roughly in the middle, to Tenby, in the south of Wales. On the way I dropped in at a Cadw property, Cilgerran Castle. There has probably been a wooden structure on this site since the 1100s, but the stone castle was started in the early 1200s.
As is so often the case with these places, subsequent lords have added and rebuilt and torn down as they saw fit and today the place is a ruin. Still, you can actually enter both of the remaining towers and get a very good view out over the surrounding countryside. This is highly recommended, because it is a very pretty countryside indeed, as is just about everything I've seen of Wales so far. Definitely a future travel destination, and I am glad to say that I now have the same love of this area that I have of England and Scotland. Rwy'n caru Cymru!
All pics.
The inner part of the castle.
The inner courtyard.
Standing on the rampart between the towers.
What is up, down, left, right? Aaaaaah.
The castle was largely built where it was to control transport on this river, whose name I never bothered to commit to memory. It was probably twelve syllables long and contained lots of w's and double l's. Possibly, there was some phlegm involved.
As is so often the case with these places, subsequent lords have added and rebuilt and torn down as they saw fit and today the place is a ruin. Still, you can actually enter both of the remaining towers and get a very good view out over the surrounding countryside. This is highly recommended, because it is a very pretty countryside indeed, as is just about everything I've seen of Wales so far. Definitely a future travel destination, and I am glad to say that I now have the same love of this area that I have of England and Scotland. Rwy'n caru Cymru!
All pics.
The inner part of the castle.
The inner courtyard.
Standing on the rampart between the towers.
What is up, down, left, right? Aaaaaah.
The castle was largely built where it was to control transport on this river, whose name I never bothered to commit to memory. It was probably twelve syllables long and contained lots of w's and double l's. Possibly, there was some phlegm involved.
An evening out in rural Wales
Just got back from an evening out in a pub in rural Wales. And what an evening it's been. First, the Welsh are a very friendly bunch. This is just about the first pub I've been to on this trip where people have started talking to me right away and pretty soon I was chummy with the whole bar.
I then got kudos from a couple of the slightly drunk gentlemen at the bar when I sang the chorus of the Welsh national anthem in Welsh. I was told my rendering was "close enough" to the actual pronounciation (they were native speakers, so they should know) and that I had "music in my soul". High praise in a country where music is held in such high esteem. One of them even told me he used to sing in a male choir in Aberystwyth, and he'd won some kind of national Eisteddfod back in the day.
What followed was a series of very pleasant conversations on all sorts of topics British and Norwegian; everything from the state of the British school system to the price of beer in Norway (everybody knows someone who's been to Norway and has some horror story about the price of sinful substances). I'd noticed that they had a "Kingdom Hall" for Jehova's Witnesses a few miles down the road, and figured the pub was a safe place to bring up the subject. One guy passing by said he had a good mind to go around knocking on their doors and tell them about beer and free sex.
Later on I stuffed the bar's jukebox with tons of tunes from the 70s, and found out the bartender was a great lover of all things from that decade. We waxed lyrical about everything from ELO to Creedence and soon another couple of guys from England joined in, drunk as skunks. It was all good fun. I shall be sad to continue south tomorrow, but on the other hand I am definitely coming back to Wales.
I then got kudos from a couple of the slightly drunk gentlemen at the bar when I sang the chorus of the Welsh national anthem in Welsh. I was told my rendering was "close enough" to the actual pronounciation (they were native speakers, so they should know) and that I had "music in my soul". High praise in a country where music is held in such high esteem. One of them even told me he used to sing in a male choir in Aberystwyth, and he'd won some kind of national Eisteddfod back in the day.
What followed was a series of very pleasant conversations on all sorts of topics British and Norwegian; everything from the state of the British school system to the price of beer in Norway (everybody knows someone who's been to Norway and has some horror story about the price of sinful substances). I'd noticed that they had a "Kingdom Hall" for Jehova's Witnesses a few miles down the road, and figured the pub was a safe place to bring up the subject. One guy passing by said he had a good mind to go around knocking on their doors and tell them about beer and free sex.
Later on I stuffed the bar's jukebox with tons of tunes from the 70s, and found out the bartender was a great lover of all things from that decade. We waxed lyrical about everything from ELO to Creedence and soon another couple of guys from England joined in, drunk as skunks. It was all good fun. I shall be sad to continue south tomorrow, but on the other hand I am definitely coming back to Wales.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Tal-y-llyn Lake
Snowdonia National Park holds quite a few spectacular views, but I don't think any of them come close to driving over the mountain and seeing Tal-y-llyn lake before you. This little glacial lake is actually featured as one of the background options for Window 7. The road down there is also very pretty, winding its way like nobody's business. Sigh.
All pics.
The lake. And all around it is a deep, fertile green.
See the road, eh? Eh? Eh? EH!
View of the hillside to the right.
To the left.
Wail, wail.
All pics.
The lake. And all around it is a deep, fertile green.
See the road, eh? Eh? Eh? EH!
View of the hillside to the right.
To the left.
Wail, wail.
Dolwyddelan Castle
This morning I left Llandudno and set course for the south of Wales. My first stop was at what remains of Dolwyddelan Castle, just outside the little village of Dolwyddelan. Built in the first half of the 13th century, it commands a very nice view of the valley, and one can actually go inside the keep and climb all the way to the top (do note that the battlements are a 19th century afterthought). The castle was never all that well fortified; Edward I took it without much trouble, and after the English had secured Wales it fell into relative obscurity.
Today it is owned by Cadw, who has such a lax admission policy in place that one may apparently walk all the way up, slouch about inside for a good 20 minutes and then stroll down again, without once being asked to pay the £2.50 it costs to get in (not that I would need to pay anyway, it's the principle of the thing). A family of five came up after me, and I believe they walked straight up too. Hrmph.
A wee word of warning: The road up and the fields around are a foul smelling cesspool of mud, cow shit and sheep droppings, and you really have to negotiate your way through a never ending series of big, stinky turds from various animals. I couldn't see any bovine life, but there were plenty of sheep around. This being Wales, they're extra jumpy.
All pics.
The castle.
From the interior.
From the ramparts.
Looking another way.
Wales is so green and pretty.
You could be excused for thinking you were in Scotland. Snowdonia National park is full of mountains like these.
Blissfully, there are large sections where you at least have some stone under your feet.
I came upon this waterfall by accident. I followed the broad way down, instead of taking a path to the right, and came round the bend slightly higher than I should have. Lo and behold, this was what I saw.
And this.
Autumn colors and a slightly foggy feeling.
Today it is owned by Cadw, who has such a lax admission policy in place that one may apparently walk all the way up, slouch about inside for a good 20 minutes and then stroll down again, without once being asked to pay the £2.50 it costs to get in (not that I would need to pay anyway, it's the principle of the thing). A family of five came up after me, and I believe they walked straight up too. Hrmph.
A wee word of warning: The road up and the fields around are a foul smelling cesspool of mud, cow shit and sheep droppings, and you really have to negotiate your way through a never ending series of big, stinky turds from various animals. I couldn't see any bovine life, but there were plenty of sheep around. This being Wales, they're extra jumpy.
All pics.
The castle.
From the interior.
From the ramparts.
Looking another way.
Wales is so green and pretty.
You could be excused for thinking you were in Scotland. Snowdonia National park is full of mountains like these.
Blissfully, there are large sections where you at least have some stone under your feet.
I came upon this waterfall by accident. I followed the broad way down, instead of taking a path to the right, and came round the bend slightly higher than I should have. Lo and behold, this was what I saw.
And this.
Autumn colors and a slightly foggy feeling.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Beaumaris Castle
The Welsh have been invaded by the English over and over again, and have rarely held much sovereignty over their territory. The north had more control and longer, largely because nobody had all that much interest in it, but this changed towards the late 13th century, when Edward I started kicking Welsh ass. He built a series of castles to keep the rebelious sheepshaggers under control, and one of these was Beaumaris Castle in Beaumaris, on Anglesey. I stopped in today, and did a quick walk around the grounds - I think I spent pretty exactly 30 minutes all told in there.
The castle is run by Cadw, the Welsh version of English Heritage and Historic Scotland (as I may have mentioned, I hold a lifetime membership in the latter). Due to reciprocal agreements between these, I get into all properties for free. The castle I visited earlier - Penhryn - is owned by the National Trust for Wales. Since I am member of the English trust, I get in for free in Scotland & Wales too. I think maybe if I live to 85-90, I may make my money back on these memberships!
All pics here.
From the outside.
The entrance gate.
The courtyard.
From the walls.
The castle is run by Cadw, the Welsh version of English Heritage and Historic Scotland (as I may have mentioned, I hold a lifetime membership in the latter). Due to reciprocal agreements between these, I get into all properties for free. The castle I visited earlier - Penhryn - is owned by the National Trust for Wales. Since I am member of the English trust, I get in for free in Scotland & Wales too. I think maybe if I live to 85-90, I may make my money back on these memberships!
All pics here.
From the outside.
The entrance gate.
The courtyard.
From the walls.
Bryn Celli Ddu
After Penrhyn, I drove off to Holyhead, the largest city in the County of Anglesey. The town is not actually ON Angelsey, it is on another, tiny island called Holy Island, which is separated from Anglesey by a narrow channel. I didn't stay there more than five minutes, because it had started raining and the clouds looked ominous, while it was all clear back in the direction whence I came.
So I fucked off on outta there, and drove to a place called Bryn Celli Ddu (meaning the mound in the dark grove), which is possibly the best known ancient burial place in all of Anglesey and one of the best known in Wales too. The oldest parts are close to 5,000 years old and was originally a 14 stones henge, roughly similar in type to Stonehenge.
Sometime around 4,000 years ago the henge was burid under a huge mound of earth and a new type of burial place was inaugurated. The place was plundered around 300 years ago and the current mound is a 20th century reconstruction. Apparently, the original is thought to have been significantly bigger.
All pics.
The full mound as it looks today.
Big stone inside.
Outside, looking in.
Inside, looking out.
It was quite a pleasant 5-10 minute walk from the road to the mound.
Looking up the road...
And down the road...
I don't trust you, you have hamburger eyes!
So I fucked off on outta there, and drove to a place called Bryn Celli Ddu (meaning the mound in the dark grove), which is possibly the best known ancient burial place in all of Anglesey and one of the best known in Wales too. The oldest parts are close to 5,000 years old and was originally a 14 stones henge, roughly similar in type to Stonehenge.
Sometime around 4,000 years ago the henge was burid under a huge mound of earth and a new type of burial place was inaugurated. The place was plundered around 300 years ago and the current mound is a 20th century reconstruction. Apparently, the original is thought to have been significantly bigger.
All pics.
The full mound as it looks today.
Big stone inside.
Outside, looking in.
Inside, looking out.
It was quite a pleasant 5-10 minute walk from the road to the mound.
Looking up the road...
And down the road...
I don't trust you, you have hamburger eyes!
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