Once upon a whenever, Wales is said to have had more than 640 castles. We may have mentioned that before. Of those 640, at least 100 have survived. Some, such as Caernarfon or Conwy, are recognisably mighty fortresses; others are…
A walk round Montgomery
We went to the small town of Montgomery, in Powys, for some much-needed peace and quiet – and found it. Girdled by lush landscape, the old county market town of Montgomeryshire has a Georgian appearance and is a peach, a…
Stumbling round old forts on Strumble Head
Clearly, something serious went on at Strumble Head. Pembrokeshire’s Strumble Head, aka The Pencaer Peninsula, is known for its stunning scenery and the Strumble Lighthouse. It was also the location, at Carregwastad Point, of a minor, unsuccessful, French invasion in…
St David’s Day
St David is the patron saint of Wales and St David’s Day is on 1 March. The problem with saints’ days is that most Britons do not believe in saints. However, they are regarded by many as occasions to celebrate…
St David’s Head
Everywhere in Britain, we walk in the footsteps of the past; it’s just not always that obvious. However, a relatively short, lung-bursting, stagger up to St David’s Head (Penmaen Dewi) in Pembrokeshire will take you to a reminder of a…
St Davids, too much beer and the lost apostrophe
The River Alun trickles through the neat Cathedral Close, between the Cathedral Church of St Davids and the majestic ruins of the 14th century Bishop’s Palace. In this little green valley, tradition says that St David, son of King Sant…
Castell Henllys
Castell Henllys (‘Castle of the old court’) is just off the A487, between Newport and Cardigan and is a recreated ancient Celtic hill-fort. Park your chariot (or time machine) in the maes parcio (car park) and carefully follow the path…
Chirk Castle
Chirk is a striking place, a wonderfully preserved late 13th century fortress on the Welsh/English border and home to the Myddelton family since 1595. Kids from 8 to 80 will enjoy the armoury displays and hands-on stuff in the dungeons,…
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is one of those places you hear about and think you really should visit. Or you want to go because the 1960s cult TV series, The Prisoner, was filmed there. The Prisoner was ‘No 6’, played by Patrick McGoohan,…
Pentre Ifan
Different rules apply in some of the remoter parts of Britain. Allegedly, fairies – described as “resembling little children in clothes like soldiers’ clothes and with red caps” – have been seen around the old Neolithic burial chamber at Pentre…
Britain’s National Parks
We all know what a national park is. Although definitions vary, they are usually rural areas of natural (or naturalised) beauty designated as ‘special’ in some way by their national governments. Normally, the environment within a national park, including its…
Valle Crucis Abbey
The ruins of medieval abbeys and monasteries are found the length and breadth of Britain; but why on earth would you want to visit one? Well, no reason at all – except to wonder at the achievement, think on a…
A bit about Wales
There are 22 ‘counties’ or ‘principal areas’ in Wales. Most modern guides differentiate between ‘North’, ‘Mid’ and ‘South’ Wales – though some don’t offer any regional breakdown at all. For the time being, that’s the approach taken by A Bit…
Whatever happened to Wales?
Wales is conquered and becomes an English colony Wales, like Scotland, was not a unified political entity in the early Middle Ages. It consisted of a number of kingdoms, the largest of which were Gwynedd in the north west, Deheubarth…