The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the longest aqueduct in Britain, its highest navigable aqueduct and part of a World Heritage Site. It was designed by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and carries the Llangollen Canal 126 feet (38 m) over the valley of the River Dee. The Aqueduct was built between 1795 and 1805 is 1,008 yards (307
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Read More »
It is believed that St Winefride’s Shrine has been a place of pilgrimage for 1300 years, following the decapitation of a young, devout, girl by a brutal chieftain in the 7th century. Where Winefride’s head came to rest, a well sprung up. On the site now is a visitor complex that includes an architecturally unique
St Winefride’s Shrine Read More »
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
Mwnt is a stretch of coastline, a beach in a secluded sandy bay, a hill, a church. A few miles north of Cardigan on the Wales Coast Path, Mwnt is a sheltered cove, popular with families and one of the best places in Ceredigion to spot dolphins, porpoises and seals. There are easy steps to
St Dogmael’s Abbey was founded by the Norman lord Robert Fitz-Martin and his wife, Maud Peverel, in 1120. It is reputedly on the site of a Celtic monastery founded by Dogmael, a now obscure 6th-century saint said to have been the son of Ithel ap Ceredig ap Cunedda Wledig and also the cousin of St
St Dogmael’s Abbey Read More »
Cardigan Castle (Castell Aberteifi) began as an earth and timber Norman fortress in the early 12th century. It was captured by The Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd in 1171 and rebuilt in stone – the first stone castle built by a Welshman. To mark the achievement, he held the first national Eisteddfod there in 1176. The
Conwy Castle, one of King Edward I’s great fortifications built to subdue the Welsh, dominates the approach to the town across the Conwy Estuary. It is, along with Beaumaris, Caernarfon, and Harlech Castles, and their town walls, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Portmeirion is a unique and colourful fantasy village in North Wales created by architect Clough Williams-Ellis from 1925-1976. It has an other-worldly feel and no other purpose than as a place of enjoyment. It was made famous as the setting for the 1960s cult TV series, ‘The Prisoner’.
Pentre Ifan, which means Ivan’s village, is the remains of a communal chambered tomb constructed maybe around 3,500 BC. The remaining stones form a doorway with a capstone on top some 17 feet (5.1 metres) long and weighing an estimated 16 tonnes. It is thought the original structure would have been about 120 feet (36
Strata Florida Abbey, founded as a Cistercian order on the banks of the river Teifi in 1201, is the burial place for generations of Welsh princes. Although ruined, it is a focal point for Welsh culture and heritage.
