Wales

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Dolbadarn Castle

With a dramatic background and probably built by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth ('the Great') early in the thirteenth century, the ruins of Dolbadarn Castle are dominated by a massive round-towered keep, still standing up to 50 feet (15.2m) high, with walls up to 8 feet (2.4m) thick. Access to the keep was via a removable staircase at first floor level. The castle occupies a strategic location guarding the Llanberis Pass and was seized by an English army under the Earl of Pembroke in 1282, following which it was abandoned and pillaged for building materials. It is possible it was used again during the revolt under Owain Glyndwr in the late 14th/early 15th century.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Llanberis
County
Gwynedd
Post Code
LL55 4UB
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Snowdonia. Carenarfon is about 8 miles.
Primary Management
Cadw
ELISEG’S PILLAR

Eliseg's Pillar is the broken shaft of a 9th century inscribed stone that was probably originally topped with a cross. It gives the valley and nearby Valle Crucis Abbey their names. The stone was erected by Cyngen, prince of Powys, in memory of his great-grandfather, Eliseg. Illegible now, Eliseg's Pillar once documented the family tree of the kings of Powys back to the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig) and proclaimed Cyngen's right to rule. It stands on a Bronze Age mound, further emphasising the ancient roots of the king's power.

There is no convenient place to park to view Eliseg's Pillar. There is a hotel more or less opposite - it might be possible to borrow a space in their car park and walk back. Beware of the road, though, it is busy and there is no path.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Abt 2+ miles N of Llangollen on the A542
County
Denbighshire
Post Code
LL20 8DD
Main Historic Period
Dark Ages
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Near Valle Crucus Abbey. Post code is not 100% accurate.
Primary Management
Cadw
FOEL TRIGARN

Foel Trigarn is a famous multivallate Iron Age hillfort and landmark in the east of the Preseli Hills. Experts have identified 3 main enclosures as well as at least 227, possibly 270, sites of Iron Age dwellings.  Ditches can be clearly made out by a layman.  Though Foel Trigarn is thought to have been a major centre of population, possibly the headquarters of a tribal leader, it is not considered likely that these dwelling sites were all occupied simultaneously, but over many centuries.  In short, this was probably a prehistoric village.  Three enormous cairns on the summit give the hill its name.  These are believed to be communal Bronze Age burial mounds.  Because they are believed not have been plundered, it has been concluded that those that lived on Foel Trigarn venerated their ancestors and that the hill may well have been a sacred site.  Both Iron Age and Roman artefacts have been found.

Post code approximate.  Access by foot only wearing suitable clothing. Parking in a layby on a nearby road.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Nr Crymych
County
Pembrokeshire
Post Code
SA41 3SG
Main Historic Period
Prehistory
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Bedd Arthur, Pentre Ifan, Cilgerran Castle
Primary Management
Local Authority
GARN FAWR CAMP

The multivallate Iron Age hillfort of Garn Fawr on the Pencaer/Strumble Head peninsula dominates the surrounding landscape, which is peppered with prehistoric remains.  At 699 feet (213m), Garn Fawr is the highest point on the peninsula and there are spectacular views from the top.  The craggy terrain was formed more than 440 million years ago by intrusive vulcanicity, giving Garn Fawr a tor-like appearance. Drystone walls link rocky outcrops to form boundaries and ramparts.  There is also a WW1 lookout post on the summit, from which the nearby smaller fort of Garn Fechan to the east is easily visible.  There is an easy walk to the fort from a car park and a shortish circular route takes you around the landscape, past another feature, Ysgubor Caer, and an abandoned cottage that once belonged to the artist John Piper.  Extend your walk to the promontory fort of Dinas Mawr.

Post code is for guidance only. Take a minor road north from Harmony to the car park.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Harmony
Goodwick
County
Pembrokeshire
Post Code
SA64 0JJ
Main Historic Period
Prehistory
Link to featured article
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Dinas Mawr, Strumble Head lighthouse, Fishguard.
Primary Management
National Trust
HARLECH CASTLE

Harlech Castle was built in a spectacular position atop a sheer rocky crag, the peaks of Snowdonia behind and the Irish Sea (now a little distant) lapping in front.  Thanks to the ‘Way from the Sea’, a path of 108 steps cut into the rock face, besieged defenders could be kept supplied by ship, as indeed they were during the siege of Madog ap Llewelyn in 1294-5.  The castle took seven years to build under the guidance of master mason James of St George, who was also responsible for three of Edward I’s other castles in North Wales - Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris; together, the four are a designated World Heritage Site.

Harlech Castle fell to Owain Glyndŵr, the last native Welsh Prince of Wales, in 1404, becoming his headquarters until 1409, when it was recaptured by the English.  The Lancastrians held the castle during the Wars of the Roses, until surrendering to the Yorkists in 1468; during the English Civil War it was held by Royalists until, in 1647, the garrison surrendered to Parliamentary forces.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Harlech
County
Gwynedd
Post Code
LL46 2YH
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Criccieth, Portmeirion, Snowdonia
Primary Management
Cadw
MONTGOMERY

The small, peaceful, town of Montgomery sits just inside the Welsh border, looked over by its medieval castle and surrounded by lovely countryside. It is mostly Georgian, but was once a walled medieval frontier town. There are few shops or pubs, but, in addition to the castle, there is an interesting church, St Nicholas’, a wonderful museum, the Old Bell, a surprising number of other fascinating features and a decent hotel, the Dragon. The church includes an astonishing Elizabethan canopied tomb and in the churchyard is the Robber’s Grave – where the grass was alleged not to have grown for a hundred years. The museum has a fascinating collection and features exhibitions about the town, castle and the Battle of Montgomery that took place during the Civil War. One not to be missed shop is Bunners, a traditional ironmonger that stocks almost everything and which is a warren of rooms and displays. The Castle Cafe in Broad Street is recommended too. Visit Montgomery to relax and walk in the countryside with red kites soaring overhead. Offa’s Dyke, the eighth century defensive earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales today, is a very short distance to the east of town.

Region/Nation
County
Powys
Main Historic Period
Georgian
Link to featured article
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Welshpool, Bishops Castle
Primary Management
Local Authority
MONTGOMERY CASTLE

The first Montgomery Castle was built in the 1070s by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, Earl of Arundel and one of King William I’s most powerful supporters.  It was a motte and bailey castle, built in wood at Hen Domen, a short distance from the modern town, but was replaced by a stone castle on a rocky hilltop overlooking modern Montgomery between 1223 and 1234.  The town developed beneath this far more formidable fortress.  Hen Domen fell into disuse, its earthworks still visible on private land adjacent to the modern village of Hendomen.

The Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr attacked and destroyed the town in 1402, but the castle remained until the Civil War and the Battle of Montgomery that took place just to the north east of the town in September 1644, a major defeat for the Royalist cause. The castle survived, but was slighted in 1649.

Though in ruins, the castle’s impressive defences can be appreciated and the views over the town and the valley of the River Camlad are terrific.

There is a car park at the top of the hill (unnamed road) next to the castle, but though it is steep the walk up from town is more rewarding.  The post code is therefore for the Dragon Hotel, where it is possible to park outside in the Market Square.

 

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Top of the Conduit
Montgomery
County
Powys
Post Code
SY15 6PA
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Link to featured article
Primary Management
Cadw
MWNT

Mwnt is a stretch of coastline, a beach, a hill, a church.  A few miles north of Cardigan on the Wales Coast Path, there is a sheltered sandy cove, popular with families and one of the best places in Ceredigion to spot dolphins, porpoises and seals.  There are easy steps to the beach, a café and toilets at the top and a National Trust car park (pay and display).  Overlooking the beach is the remains of an old lime kiln, but the main feature is the hill, Foel y Mwnt, that towers over the area and which gives it its name: mwnt means ‘mount’.  There are great views over Cardigan Bay from the top, if you have the legs and head to clamber up it.

In the shelter of the hill is the tiny whitewashed Church of the Holy Cross.  It could be named for a cross that once stood on Foel y Mwnt and there may well have been a church on the site since early Christian times.  The present building dates from the 14th century, when it served pilgrims travelling to St Davids or Strata Florida, as well as local sailors.  It has a 13th century font made of stone from the Preseli Hills.

As a final note, Mwnt was raided by Flemings in 1155.  A bloody battle ensued, in which the invaders came off worse.  The event is still commemorated.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Near Cardigan
County
Ceredigion
Post Code
SA43 1QH
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Cardigan
Primary Management
National Trust
OLD BELL MUSEUM

The Old Bell Museum is a local history museum situated in what was a 16th century inn. It is run by volunteers – so not open all hours – but it is extremely good. There are exhibitions about the first Montgomery Castle, Hen Domen (including one of the best models of a reconstructed motte and bailey castle that I have ever seen), the later, stone, Montgomery Castle, the Battle of Montgomery in the Civil War – and, of course, life in Montgomery. It is one of the best local museums you will ever visit.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
7 Arthur Street
Montgomery
County
Powys
Post Code
SY15 6RA
Main Historic Period
Tudor
Link to featured article
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Bunners, Montgomery Castle, St Nicholas' Church
Primary Management
Independent
PEMBROKESHIRE COAST NATIONAL PARK

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers an area of 240 square miles (621 kilometres) along a 260 mile (418 kilometres) coastline in South-West Wales.  It was established in 1952 and the highest point is Foel Cwmcerwyn at 1758 feet (536 metres).

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is unique in that it is predominantly, but not exclusively, coastal.  But, in addition to high rugged cliffs and broad, sandy, beaches, it does include woodland and inland hills.  Along the 186 mile (299 kilometres) long Pembrokeshire Coast Path you will spot seals, dolphins and basking sharks, as well as seabirds.  There are prehistoric tombs, Iron Age hill forts, numerous castles and Britain’s smallest city, St Davids.  The park includes a marine nature reserve, 6 national nature reserves and 75 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Principal settlements include St Davids and Tenby.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
Llanion Park
Pembroke Dock
County
Pembrokeshire
Post Code
SA72 6DY
Main Historic Period
N/A
Link to featured article
Primary Management
National Park

If your favourite attraction is not listed yet, and you have a good quality digital photograph of it that you are able to freely send, please get in touch

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