Retired Australian Lawyer having worked representing the innocent and the not so innocent in Australia and some of the remote parts of the world and having travelled widely through Europe, Western Russia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Thailand Malaysia Solomon Islands northern China, Hong Kong and the UAE
So now that I have the time I am writing about my travels present and past. Hope you enjoy exploring off the beaten track.
The ship continued to rock and roll gently through the night. Kerry found this disturbing and I slept like a baby – except for the dig in the ribs from Kerry who wanted me to worry about the rolling with her. With the dawn we passed a number of oil platforms until we entered the harbour of Queensport. The ship was too big to dock at Queensport so the ship lowered the tenders and we travelled to the wharf to disembark. The pictures below are of the bridge across the Firth of Forth where the River Forth meets the North Sea, and famous for its three iconic bridges (Rail, Road, Queensferry Crossing) near Queensferry, serving as our entrance to Edinburgh. Some years ago we attended the Edinburgh festival and attended the Tatoo. We stayed at Fife taking the train across one the bridges (there only being two bridges at the time with third under construction) and the reunion with the bridge reminded us of that trip.
The ship provided a bus shuttle which we caught from the Ferry into Edinburgh. After sought out where we were, we made our way to Waterloo Place outside Princes Street Suites. A man in a uniform brandishing a placard advertising the Hop on Hop off bus stood under Prince Leopold’s Arch selling tickets. The arch built in 1819 to celebrate the visit of Leopold Prince of Saxe Courburg seemed out of place and there was no explanation as to the reason for it. My research shows that the arch marks the entry of Leopold into Edinburgh connecting Waterloo Place over the Old Calton Gorge, with the arch serving as a temporary triumphal gateway for the royal visit. A significant civic event at the time, though this Prince Leopold later became the first King of the Belgians. As we passed the arch we commenced the red line tour passing the Scott Monument. The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, near Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. In the distance you will see Edinburgh Castle.
The Bus moves along the Royal Mile through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, connecting the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, perched high on a base of volcanic rock, the Mile is overlooked by impressive, towering tenements, and into the Grassmarket. The Grassmarket is a historic, picturesque, cobbled square beneath Edinburgh Castle, famous for its lively atmosphere, independent shops, quirky pubs (like The Last Drop and Maggie Dickenson), diverse restaurants, and its past as a cattle market and site for public executions.
The Last Drop sits in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket district which was a small open space where local farmers brought their hay and other produce for sale. It was also the location of one of the main gallows in the city and crowds would flock in huge numbers to see the public executions. The Last Drop Tavern is located immediately next to the scene of public hangings which took place there back in the eighteenth century. Tenements once stood on the site, but these were rebuilt into the pub you see today using the old buildings’ original seventeenth century stone.
Maggie Dickensen Pub. Maggie Dickson was a fish hawker from Musselburgh and in 1723 she “fell pregnant” after a secret relationship with an innkeepers son in Kelso. The newborn baby died and Maggie decided it was best to conceal the body so the affair would not be discovered. However, the baby’s body was discovered and Maggie was found guilty of killing a child. She was returned to Edinburgh for execution, which took place in Grassmarket on September 2, 1724. Her friends and relatives took possession of her body, and placed it in a coffin and to be taken to Musselburgh for burial. The party paused en route for a drink and they noticed, the lid of the coffin began to move. Maggie was alive and well enough to walk the rest of the way to Mussleburgh the next day. She survived she was a “good friend” of the ropemaker and the early breaking of the rope allowed her survival. Having already been pronounced legally dead she could not be tried again and she lived another 40 years and known as Half-Hangit Maggie. She opened the pub in Grassmarket, and whenever there was a hanging going on outside, she would bring the accused a pint and say not to worry, she survived her own hanging.
Pictures of both establishments are above. Next stop was Calton Hill.
Calton Hill is a prominent, historic hill in central Edinburgh, famous for its iconic monuments, panoramic city views, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site location. Key features include the unfinished National Monument (a Parthenon replica) and the City Observatory, offering stunning vistas of Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, and the Firth of Forth. Moving on we passed Holyrood House, now overgrown with trees and then the Scottish Parliament Building seen below on the left. As we finished our tour we came across H & T Pawnbrokers. Very elaborate establishment – certainly no Steptoe and Sons there.
We returned to our shuttle bus stop after grabbing a sandwich at the Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station, tired from sitting in the bus – that still happens to me that I need a nap in the afternoon.
Our next adventure is “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 3 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Shetland Isles.” We have both enjoyed the BBC drama of “Shetland” and I was anxious to see for my self how this small group of islands could have so many murders occurring on a daily basis.
Our plan to travel to Dover was going smoothly until we arrived in Dover and got an understanding of the location of the bus terminus and the Cruise Ship port – they are a long, long, long way apart and there were no taxis due to the backed-up trucks collecting goods from the shipping port. With no other choice and time to spare , we set off on foot dragging our luggage. Fortunately, we met some passengers returning on foot to the same vessel and with their guidance we knew we were pointing in the right direction. Along the way we picked up another couple dragging their suitcases and the six of us were able to help each other to handle this tortuous walk. It seemed such a long trip on foot.
After boarding the SS Nieuw Statendam and accessing our cabin, we were able to look back at the path we had traveled or at least a small part thereof. We were jealous of those arriving by coach and later found out these were returning passengers from cruise excursions. My photos below show the very last part of our walk, the terminal building and the vessel departing from Dover Cruise Terminal.
We spent the rest of our time that afternoon acquainting ourselves with the ship – which was fore and aft, and which was port and starboard and registering that we had found our way to our evacuation station. Where things were located on the ship remained a point of annoyance for the whole trip. Many times, we were confused as to whether we were on the SS Nieuw Statendam or the SS Noordam.
Our voyage was 14 days circumnavigating the United Kingdom – Scotland’s isles, bits of Northern Ireland, the Isle of Mann and Eire returning to Dover. For ease I have broken the cruise into 3 – 4 day blogs. So my next blog will be “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Queensport & Edinburgh then Shetland Isles.”
SS NIEUW STATENDAM
First I will give you a short tour of the ship the SS Nieuw Statendam.
Our cabin was nice and roomy with bathroom and cupboards, bedroom, TV/Lounge room and a deck. We had spent a bit more than usual with our choice of cabin to give ourselves a treat. We were about one third of the way from the fore deck and 9 floors from the water line with floors 10 to 17 above us. Set between two sets of lifts our position was reasonably good. Our cabin steward seemed like a ghost – we would rarely see her and we only knew she was there as things continually moved in the cabin.
The dining was split between 3 decks – decks 11, 7 and 6 with the a la carte restaurants on 6 & 7 and the banquet style on 11 with multiple bars, a disco on deck 17 and one coffee shop. Deck 11 had 2 pools/spas, one for adults only the stern had 3 verandah decks overlooking the adults only pool. More about the ship later.
After a big day we needed to rest but there was no coffee shop with views of the ocean on this ship and we missed Deck 12 of the SS Noordam.
ROTTERDAM
With the morning we found ourselves at sea on our way to Rotterdam; the ship’s home port. We continued to find our way around the ship which rocked a bit too much for some guests. The following morning we arrived in Rotterdam and here are a few snaps I took where the ship tied up. Note there are swans swimming in the river – I have not seen flocks of birds other than gulls this close to the ship.
We did not know much about Rotterdam other than Kerry thought the city had some unusual architecture and I thought of canals and sailing ships from the centuries before. So we were both interested to see the city but not excited about the ship’s excursions. We decided we would explore by canal boat and on foot.
On disembarking from our ship, we made our way on foot to the Holland America building – the design was from centuries past – to the canal ferry station to travel into the CBD of Rotterdam. Our ferry took us past our ship and under the bridge we had observed from our deck and into a different world of architecture and history. One building we passed seemed to have had an extension built on top but they had made it too big. Then we turned into a canal proper (we had been on the river before hand) and passed the canal gate to prevent flooding (the boy with his finger in the dyke inspired this) in the CBD. Boats of all shapes and sizes were tied up in the marina many with murials of the sea adorning their hulls. Our stop and disembarkation point for the ferry was in the midst of the maritime wharf museum. Cranes of many various discription struggled for space amongst all the other parafenalia of sailing the ocean.
Part of our day at sea prior to arriving in Rotterdam had included a talk by the Tour director about seeing Rotterdam on foot and it had proven very useful. We learnt that in this part of the CBD there we some buildings of the more extreme architectural design so we did have some clues about where we were going. One building we were looking for was the market which had been designed as a large hangar with residential units built into the side walls. Now we were there on Sunday and the markets did not open but we found the building and it is as remarkable as its description. Just nearby is the building that could be mistaken for a pencil or a rocket and another building where it appears to have been built by 3 different builder each with the position of the floors being displaced. Finally the buildings we sought – the cube houses.
One of the apartments was opened as a gallery and we chose to look inside to see what space the building provided. My pictures below give you the idea of the space and the unusual aspects seen from the windows. As we left the unit we noticed some commercial space and people playing chess outside of a chess piece museum and a coffee shop. I don’t know which came first the chess players or the museum but I was taken back and excited. I have not played chess for years and it was only this year while visiting Son #2 and his family that I had sometime with 2 of our grandchildren and they were playing chess. So bravely I engaged them in competition and realised the enjoyment I used to get from competition. We ordered some coffee and I went to inspect the museum. Had a long chat with the proprietor who said she had over 1,000 chess sets. Something truly unexpected.
We continued to make our way through the cube apartments until we came upon another branch of the marina. We decided we should make our way back to the ferry uncertain how far we had travelled whilst exploring the architecture. The mixture of the styles of architecture kept us enthralled – we had not expected anything like this. As we made our way along the canal bank Kerry saw a local working on his boat and innocently asked him about his boat and she was met with a rude and hostile responce. Not aware that he was telling her to “piss off” Kerry continued her enquiry. Gradually he softened his tone and engaged with Kerry explaining that this was a particular style of sailing ship developed in Rotterdam and he and his father had started work restoring it. His father had died but he had continued with the restoration using the ship as his accomodation. He also explained that he thought tourists were rude asking questions as though he was part of the tour. At one stage I was certain he was going to climb the ships rail and clock her one but in the end they chatted happily ignoring my presence entirely. He had found that Kerry was genuinely interested in the history of the ship and his determination to save the vessel. Ultimately Kerry acknowledged me and he lost interest in Kerry.
We had seen the unusal architecture but now we were amongst all the house boats, boats making believe they were hotels and boats making believe they are “B&B’s”. Rotterdam has it all. By the time we made our way back to the ferry and then to our ship the sun was going down and I was able to photograph the sunset on a interesting day.
As the sun set in the west we sailed north west to Queensport and Edinburgh. We have been to Edinburgh a few times so we had decided to catch the Hop on Hop off bus rather than take in the main attractions. So be prepared for “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 2 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Queensport & Edinburgh then Shetland Isles.”
The drive to Chateau Rhianfa on the isle of Anglesey took us past Harlech Castle in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, a Grade I listed medieval fortification built onto a rocky knoll which years ago was close to the Irish Sea. A Seagate and stairs to the former landing area remains today but is nowhere near the present coast. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars, withstanding the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn between 1294 and 1295, but falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. It then became Glyndŵr’s residence and military headquarters for the remainder of the uprising until being recaptured by English forces in 1409. During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, Harlech was held by the Lancastrians for seven years, before Yorkist troops forced its surrender in 1468, a siege memorialised in the song “Men of Harlech”. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1647 when it became the last fortification to surrender to the Parliamentary armies. In the 21st century the ruined castle is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, as a tourist attraction. As my photos below show the castle is well defended by its environment and provides excellent views of the surrounding village. I have also attached the Cadw brochure.
The drive to Harlech was very picturesque and I could not put my camera down.
CHATEAU RHIANFA PLAS RHIANFA
We arrived in Angelsey about mid afternoon and crossed the Menai Bridge. We proceeded along the road following the bay until we noted the entrance – a sharp right-hand turn into a crowded driveway. Chateau Rhianfa, is located on Menai, between Menai Bridge and Beaumaris. The house was built for Sir John Hay-Williams, 2nd Baronet of Bodelwyddan, and his wife Lady Sarah Elizabeth Hay-Williams with construction commencing in 1849 and completed in 1851. The house remained in the possession of the Williams family until 1957 when it was sold and converted into several apartments. Most of the land surrounding the house was also sold, leaving three acres attached to the estate. In 2012 the building reopened as a hotel, with three cottages within the estate converted into guest houses. My photos below show our bedroom – first round bed that I can recall and it was not all that comfortable. It proved to be unusual to sleep in. The bar was quaint but did not seem to be used regularly. Down on the waterfront we looked back to the mainland. The wind was constant and quite cool. The last photo of the exterior of the hotel showing a tower is in fact a view of our bedroom from the outside of the building.
The hotel has been appointed with luxurious furniture and fittings in accord with the style of the building. It is surrounded by gardens and fronts the Menai Strait. The layout of the hotel was quirky but that appeals to us and makes it more interesting. It has an elevator which we gave a lot of use while we were there. Our photos give you a tour of the hotel, Menai Strait on a windy day and the elevator. The following day we had time to move through the many rooms of the hotel starting from the carpark at the entrance then the 3 lounges overlooking the waters of Menai Strait, the corner day bed on the verandah on the first floor, the top of the stairs and the chairs for the elderly to rest after the climb, some wild flowers sprung up in the garden and then the famous lift.
CAERNARFON AND ITS CASTLE
One of the attractions for me in visiting Anglesey was Caernarfon Castle. Although it is located in Caernarfon some 20 minutes drive away, I was keen to visit the castle which has maintained some of its medieval history. One of the best things about travel by road in the UK is their postal system where every residence, business, Government Office and castle has an individual post code and the g.p.s. system on my phone or in the car operated to locate and direct us to where we wanted to be. So locating the castle – no problem. Finding parking – always a bloody headache and this occasion was no exception. When you do find public parking it was different in every village and it took some time to understand what had to be done to avoid a fine – nerve wracking.
We found the public parking, determined the manner for payment and walked off with fingers crossed. We found one of the gates in the remaining walls of the castle and inside those gates was the streets and businesses given the protection of those walls. Like the “Black Boy Inn” and there did not appear to be any offense taken by the residents. After progressing through to the inner keep, we came to the ticket office and once again our 7 days Cadw pass gained us free entry. That pass saved us a huge sum of entry fees. Inside the inner sanctum of the castle was a mixture of medieval and modern. For the first time the castle had an elevator of modern design and faultless operation. Our photos show that this was a strongly fortified and important place. It was large as castles go and you could well imagine the comfort it afforded the residents living and working in the outer keep. One of the towers had been fitted out to tell some of the stories of the castle – one was a chess set with the key players shown as Kings Queens Knights Bishops and Pawns and the other concerning Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, his queen, particularly how Eleanor retained power after Edwards death.
Her story is told in the collage shown in my pictures above. Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I. She also ruled as Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279. Her marriage was to secure and affirm English sovereignty over Gascony. As a 13-year-old, Eleanor was married to Edward on 1 November 1254. She is believed to have birthed a child not long after.
Simon de Montfort’s government imprisoned her in Westminster Palace. Eleanor took an active role in Edward’s reign as he began to take control of Henry III’s post-war government. The marriage was particularly close; Edward and Eleanor traveled together extensively, including the Ninth Crusade. In her lifetime, Eleanor was disliked for her property dealings and the supposed exploitation of Jews, bringing her into conflict with the church. Eleanor died at Harby near Lincoln in late 1290; following her death, Edward built a stone cross at each stopping place on the journey to London, ending at Charing Cross, known as Eleanor crosses.
Notwithstanding the sources of her wealth, Eleanor’s financial independence had a lasting impact on the institutional standing of English queens, establishing their future independence of action. After her death, Eleanor’s reputation was shaped by conflicting fictitious accounts – both positive and negative – portraying her as either the dedicated companion of Edward I or as a scheming Spaniard. These accounts influenced the fate of the Eleanor crosses, for which she is probably best known today.
The port of Holyhead is the busiest UK Irish ferry port and is home to the largest seagoing ferry in the world. The origins of Holyhead (Caergybi) date from 450AD, when Celtic King Caswallon defeated Irish invaders on Holy Island. It is a historic port town, and is the largest town and a community in the county of the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is separated from Anglesey island by the narrow Cymyran Strait, having originally been connected to Anglesey via the Four Mile Bridge. For us it was just on the other side of the island.
We had no idea what to expect. The only thing we knew is that you caught the ferry to Ireland from Holyhead. On arrival at the ferry terminal the first thing we noticed is there is dedicated parking and no charge. In the distance we could see what looked like a passenger ship which turned out to be the ferry.
The weather was gray and cold and there was little to see. The thing that caught my eye was a maritime museum sited on the edge of the Bay with a nearby coffee shop and the rails of a former Rescue shed for launching of boats. There was a small entry fee but the volunteers manning the museum were quite prepared to show us around and give us the history of the museum and the displays in the museum. Our photos show the larger building which is the museum with the smaller coffee shop beside it. Kerry found a sewing machine which fascinated her. It was a sail makers machine which once upon a time was driven by steam power and 3 times the size of her industrial machines. Outside of the museum was a brick bomb shelter used during the Wars as Holyhead was a target for enemy planes. It was fitted out as though expecting a raid any moment. After completing our visit we adjourned to the coffee shop and found it was open from lunch only but just for us served us with coffee and cake with the ferry sitting against the wharf.
We finished a very welcome coffee and moved on to the South Stack Lighthouse. Searching for the lighthouse was a challenge and we missed the turn ending up in a cliff side park overlooking the lighthouse.The main lighthouse near Holyhead is the South Stack Lighthouse, a historic structure built in 1809 on a small island off the coast of Holy Island. It is famous for its dramatic location, accessed by descending over 400 steps from the mainland cliffs, and is a popular spot for birdwatching, including puffins and other seabirds. The lighthouse is 91 metres tall and the walk to the lighthouse starts on the headland with 400 stairs down then a lengthy walk to the buildings then the climb to the top of the lighthouse turnaround and go back again. That would have taken all day and probably killed one or both of us so we were content to view the building as we encountered an environmental centre built in a miniature castle like building in the reserve with information on the reserve and its flora and fauna. You will see in one picture the RAF planes that regularly flew across.
We moved onto the next town and visited the beach and got some lunch. As we departed we came across this restaurant “Lola’s” the old boathouse. Lola is our 2nd grandchild living in Tasmania.
In our travels we were told about an old slate mine that we should visit. To get there we had to travel through a village called The Heights. The Heights rests beside a lake behind which is the mountains in which two of Britain’s largest slate quarries can be found. The main slate mining areas near “The Heights” are in the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, which includes former quarries like Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda and Dinorwic Quarry near Llanberis. Both were once among the world’s largest slate quarries and now serve as tourist and recreational sites. This abandoned site is just one of those mines.
We parked along the lakeside in The Heights and firstly caught sight of the ruined tower then the Sword in the Stone – not really King Arthur territory which we had visited earlier this year when in Cornwall. We walked through the village finally settling on a pub for a cold beer and lunch. We got some directions to the closest mine and that is the mountain pictured above. Of course narrow country roads once again this time climbing the mountain. As we came to a cul de sac providing visitor parking we were amazed by the slate rubble making up additional height to the mountains. There were a number of ruins in the mine surrounds but slag heap with almost vertical rail lines to remove the stone surrounded us. Below us is the village of the Heights and the ruined castle we had seen across the lake. On a very early trip to North Wales we had visited Baleneau Festinog slate mine and had a very good idea of the labour needed to create the spoil heaps that surrounded us. We really do have many blessings in this life one being I did not have to work in a slate mine.
Our time in Anglesey was up and we now faced the drive to Dover to catch our ship to circumnavigate the British Isles. We drove back to Heathrow Airport and rested up in a hotel then returning the hire car. The hotel had a great roof top lounge where I obtained some good photos before being told to put it away by the Maitre De.
The following day we caught the tube to London and caught the National Express bus to Dover not knowing what awaited us. Read on with our continuing adventure in “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD –CHATEAU RHIANFA PLAS RHIANFA, TO DOVER AND SS NEUW STATENDAM.”
We leave Pembroke to find our way to Best Western Hotel at Ebbw Vale. This proves to be an effort as the hotel is a former Government Health Services building and our GPS cannot find it. With a bit of guess work we strike it lucky and the proof can be seen below. This is a strange configuration, and our room is tiny with a view of the remaining health service building entrance to look at. After moving our bags into the room I find I have a water leak beside my bed but not significant enough to warrant moving rooms even if there were a room available. The good news is we have internet, but the bad news is there is no coffee making facilities or fridge in the room. Good news they don’t mind if we prepare our breakfast in the breakfast room. Management and staff are very easy going but the hotel leaves a lot to be desired. It will do for a few days. The photos below are from Ebbw Vale – not a lot of interesting things. We had chosen the town for accommodation not for sites to see.
After our hearty breakfast of cereal and coffee/tea we prepared a picnic (we brought our own flask, Vegemite, honey and butter which we keep cold on the window sill whilst putting our milk in the Hotel’s kitchen fridge). We drive to Crickhowell the epicenter of this region. We parked behind the information centre and were confronted by the call to arms for the Rotary Duck Race (note the venue “Bull Pit Meadow” how rural is that) after which we walked the main street of the village – from the Bear Hotel to the castle ruins. The streets are narrow (Kerry has to step onto the road to continue on the footpath) and the castle is a ruin and now the centre piece of the kids playground in the community park. There are bits and pieces of the castle, its keep and defensive wall within the village. The photos show part of a tower, a disconnected part of the wall set 3 m above part of the inner keep and a section of a second tower. From the top of the inner keep we have a view over the whole of the town into the hills.
We spy the spire of the local church and return past the old Bear Hotel where we find another part of the defensive walls being used as part of their front fence. Very quaint. We move onto the church we had seen from the ruins which turned out to be St. Edmund’s Church (Eglwys Sant Emyr). Inside the church is a record of the early history of life in Crickhowell – 3 sarcophaguses with death images formed on the top of the container – time had rendered the dates of the internment and identities illegible. The interior of the church was simple and dignified. In the church yard the former members of the community having passed over are recorded and remembered.
The countryside was vibrant and green. I am certain we had a coffee and cake before we returned to the carpark. My photo below is the countryside – don’t go searching for us drinking coffee.
Part of our reason for coming to the Wye River valley is to visit Hay on Wye famous for the bookshops that can be found in the village. However, I was not expecting to accidentally come across another ruin just off the country road. A moat and bailey castle from Norman times – it has likely been slowly demolished by farmers pillaging its stone until the ruin was included in the Cadw Trust. It turns out to be the ruins of Tretower Castle.
The internet tells me that the “Picard dynasty” in Wales refers to the family who held control of Tretower Castle in Powys after the Norman conquest in the late 11th century, founded by a Norman knight named Picard and continued by his descendants, including his son and grandson, who developed the castle into its stone form. After the Picard family, the property passed to other families, including the Vaughans and Bloets.
After this interlude we continued onto Hay on Wye. A small village on the banks of the River Wye with touches of its Roman origin still apparent, and like all these villages parking within the village is limited. We parked down near the old, abandoned cattle yards. There is a public book exchange and many different genre of bookshops. The castle that once was home to a minor knight, has been converted to a domestic residence. The market is still used and provides a place in the sun for coffee lovers. My photos include all of these.
It was very warm, and we decided to have our picnic down on the river. Unfortunately, the flask was not sealing properly and had leaked in the bag. Still we enjoyed our Vegemite sandwiches and coffee. Sitting in the shade of the bushy banks of the river, we cooled off quietly and met some other locals doing the same. One of the surprises was someone had carved in the stumps of dead trees images of local birds of prey. By the way we “forgot” to take the flask when we left the Best Western.
As we returned to our Best Western, we found ourselves crossing Brecons Beacon National Park. It is a national park named after the Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog), the mountain range at its centre. The national park includes the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan, which has an elevation of 886 metres (2,907 ft). Stunning picturesque views of rural Wales. We thought we had stumbled across an ice cream van stopped at the top of the peak but were disappointed – he was selling coffee.
We then traveled on and accidently stumbled across the Brecon Mountain Railway. The Brecon Mountain Railway is a 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. It climbs northwards from Pant along the full length of the Pontsticill Reservoir and continues past the adjoining Pentwyn Reservoir to Torpantau railway station. The railway’s starting point at Pant is located two miles (3 km) north of the town centre of Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, South-East Wales. It is very popular so booking in advance is necessary. We booked our tickets for the following day.
We returned to our hotel and as I recall we went for a walk through the town and had dinner at a pub. Nothing flash although the locals thought it a bit of a posh nosh.
The following morning, we returned to the railway and here are our photos of the ride. Thanks to Wikipedia the history of the Railway follows.
“The Brecon Mountain Railway was founded in the mid-1970s, by Tony Hills (1937–2015). Hills was a long time railway enthusiast who by 1970, had established a base at Gilfach Ddu on the Llanberis Lake Railway where he stored the locomotives he purchased. In 1977, he purchased five miles of trackbed of the abandoned Brecon & Merthyr Railway at Pant and moved his collection there. Construction of the BMR started in 1978, with the grant of a Light Railway Order in 1980. Track was laid between Pant and Pontsticill in 1979–80. At Pontsticill the station house was renovated, the old waiting room was converted into a small workshop and a storage shed was built. Seven bridges were repaired or replaced. The railway opened to passengers in June 1980 using the engine Sybil and one carriage.
Between 1982 and 1996, a large station and workshop were built at Pant. These provide passenger facilities including toilets, cafe, shop and booking office as well as the extensive workshop used to build and maintain the railway locomotives, carriages and wagons.
A 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) extension from Pontsticill to Dol-y-Gaer opened in 1995. The railway was further extended to Torpantau, just short of the southern entrance of the Torpantau Tunnel, with passenger services commencing 1 April 2014.
By 2016, the original waiting room building at Pontsticill, which had served as a workshop for a period, was converted into a steam museum housing various stationary steam engines and three of the smaller locomotives. All of the stationary units were connected up to a steam distribution header and boiler, which in 2017 was still awaiting commissioning.”
My photos show the station at Pontsticill with the attach museum and workshop, and the trip up to Torpantau. There the train disengages turns around and takes us back to Dol-y-Gaer where converted carriages serve as cafe and refreshment stop. My photo shows Kerry in the queue.
The trip and drive took most of the day. Overnight we investigated visiting the Big Pit and the Blaenavon Heritage Railway the next day. Unlike the Brecon Railway this one is an all-volunteer association keeping the steam train running and it incidentally used to service the Big Pit so whilst the train goes to the Big Pit it’s not synchronized with what is happening with the Big Pit. The railway visits 4 stations in a round trip of about 1 hour. One of the stops is the Big Pit. We knew nothing of these arrangements and learned as we went. The stations are Big Pit Halt along a short branch line then back to Furnace Sidings Halt where we bought our ticket and then two more stations (they call them “Halts”) Whistle Inn Halt and Blaenavon. We caught the train to the Big Pit and on reboarding the train we eventually did the whole of the train ride.
The Big Pit is a short walk from the branch line station and after entering the Big Pit recetion area we were directed to the waiting room. There we awaited our guide who takes a group of about 10 people to a preparation area where we were fitted out with safety gear and handed in our phones and cameras.You won’t see any photos of the mine tunnels as photos underground are prohibited. Then the group enter an elevator to descend 300 feet or 90 m underground to experience “mining”. The trip was very sobering. This was a tough life more than I could understand without experiencing this tour. We learnt about the darkness of the tunnel, the risks of suffocation from dangerous gases, the heat and uncomfortable environment in which to work the long hours of the miners, their children, who often worked with them, and the horses which lived in the mines quite often Shetland ponies. The tour lasted at least an hour and half. This was longer than we had allowed so we were concerned that we did not miss our return train ride back to the station to where we had parked the car. We need not have worried. After a short period standing on the station, we got the train and finished the whole journey and returned to where we had left the car. Below is a picture of the preparation area. I used what was available on the web site – don’t bother looking for us.
We returned to Ebbw Vale and our hotel to prepare for the following day.
The following day we visited Cyfarthafa Castle and Blaenafon Ironworks ( the featured picture above shows one of the iron presses from Blaenafon Ironworks). Cyfarthfa Castle is a castellated mansion that was the home of the Crawshay family, ironmasters of Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The castle was sold in 1908 to the local council, who decided to use part of the ground floor for a museum, which still operates. The museum includes paintings, including two by James Inskipp. The rest of the building became a secondary school, and it was opened in 1913, operating as separate boys’ and girls’ schools. In 1945, they amalgamated, and in accordance with government policy the school was redesignated as a Grammar school under the name of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School. It became a comprehensive school in 1970, under the name Cyfarthfa High School. My photos are below.
From there we tracked our way to Raglan Castle. Raglan Castle is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in southeast Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the successive ruling families of the Herberts and the Somersets created a luxurious, fortified castle, complete with a large hexagonal keep, known as the Great Tower or the Yellow Tower of Gwent. During the First English Civil War, Raglan was occupied by a Royalist garrison on behalf of Charles I but it was taken by Parliamentarian forces in 1646 and its walls slighted or deliberately put beyond military use. After the Stuart Restoration in 1660, the Somersets declined to restore it and it became first a source of local building materials, then a romantic ruin. It is now a tourist attraction. We spent time going through the ruins and sought refreshment, but the café was well hidden. We finally found the cafe – outside of the castle allotment in the courtyard of the neighbouring house. We sat down in the shade and then caused a minor disturbance because the waiter took the order incorrectly but to their credit, they admitted their error and provided us with a refund for the mistake. My photos of the ruins and the café follow including the CADW brochure.
We traveled back through the Brecon Beacons National Park to visit the Ironworks and as it was a different road we encountered a local swimming hole surrounded by people and sheep. The photo is below. It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Ironworks largely hidden by overgrowth of the surrounding trees. This is one of the steel mills ever present through out Wales during its industrial years. The entry was tiny and manned by a husband-and-wife team. She was clearly American, and they recently returned to Wales and took up this position. Seemed an odd fit. However, the recreation of life for the workers in the preserved ironworks was excellent.
The Ironworks is a former industrial site which is now a museum. It was of crucial importance in the development of the ability to use cheap, low quality, high sulphur iron ores worldwide. It was the site of the experiments by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin Percy Gilchrist that led to “the basic steel process” or “Gilchrist–Thomas process”. In 1904 the Ironworks ceased production completely. Work restarted briefly in 1924 but was commercially unviable. The forges at the site were still being used and helped with the production of steel shell during both world wars but was mostly used as a storage yard for the National Coal Board. One of the remarkable things is that some of the workers lodgings have been restored to present certain periods from 18th century through to the 20th century. I thought this might be an uninspiring attraction but quite the contrary it presented considerable history of industrial Wales.
Time to move on from the Best Western as we were due at Chateau Rhianfa Plas Rhianfa, in Anglesey – a far cry from the Best Western. On the way we will look at Harlech Castle before finding our way to Chateau Rhianfa Plas Rhianfa, Glyngarth Menaii Bridge Read on in my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – CRICKHOWELL (Ebbw Vale)TO CHATEAU RHIANFA PLAS RHIANFA, GLYNGARTH MENAII BRIDGE.”
The picture above is Pembroke Castle in 1880 and there is will be more about this castle below. I must admit that writing these blogs gets increasingly difficult. It’s not that the places are forgettable but rather there is so much to tell. The drive from Cardiff was divided into 3 parts with Tenby being the last leg before we struggled to find our lodgings in Pembroke. Our first sight of the beaches at Tenby was very encouraging but finding our accommodation was a task. We knew we were near the Pembroke Castle, but we couldn’t find the number in the street. Parking in these towns and villages always involved paying for a meter and here we had to park and find the property before we could drive to it. Once we had parked the car we walked down to the street where we had rented our lodging and low and behold a small cluster of even smaller flats was sitting under the hill on which the castle is located. It was small inside and close to a noisy road but it was for a few days only so we moved our car and found the key box but the code had been changed. Fortunately one of the neighbours was watering her garden and she helped us contact the owner and obtained the code. We had arrived. The property was about the size of a two car garage with a loft so not a lot of space.
When driving in through Tenby we decided we would visit Caldey Island you can see it in my first photo on the Horizon and the beaches the next day.
The following morning the tide was in so that was a good start, and we lined up to buy our tickets. We were warned that depending on when we returned, we may have to use the tractor. After noting this we did not think of it again as we thought it would affect us on the island – surprise surprise we were wrong. Below is a series of photos of the harbour and below that the crossing.
The island had been a retreat for Monks and a teaching facility but whilst this continues the island is now a retreat for everyone and we were not alone on the boat. My first photo below shows what the Monks have been doing in their spare time – decorative chairs for visitors and as you walk further onto the island you encounter the monastery, and the Monks quarters a café gift shop and post office. Whilst we had a coffee, I spotted some local wildlife – a partridge and her family running through he grasses on the edge of the open ground where the visitor could rest eat and drink their lunch. The tourist information informed us that there was a lighthouse on the island but not where it was located – its on the seaward side of the island on high cliffs. We were not certain that we would make the distance however halfway there were ruins of the monastery and by the time we had reached and looked through them we could see the lighthouse and thought “that’s not too far”. My pictures below show the ruins and the walk to the lighthouse the lighthouse and the general view of the seaward side of the island.
We spent a few hours on the island by which time the tide had turned. Although we had seen a tractor at the island ferry jetty it did not appear to be in operation. On the ride to the island, we had passed an island with ruins which appeared to be part of the castle ruins. On our return the tide had receded such that the island was now accessible on foot with people scaling all over the island and ruins, and the Boat Rescue volunteers boat shed was now on stilts. A tractor had pulled a portable landing down to the water and now we knew what it meant when they say, “the tractor will be in operation”. Our launch tied up to this mobile pier and all passengers clambered off onto the pier then the beach. There was a considerable stretch of beach to walk across to get to hard land. We followed the crowd across the beach up to the High Street in the town and there found a pub “Coach and Horses” with great ambiance and enjoyed lunch and a drink watching the beach goers and the shoppers going by.
Kerry had picked up a brochure for Picton Castle and Gardens and I had a desire to go to a Wales whiskey distillery – Penderyn whiskey distillery. Both sites were nearby so on the following day we tripped out to Penderyn Distillery and Picton Castle.
The castle may have once been a fortified castle but it has gradually changed to a manor house and gardens. The gardens are used by the castle owners as a garden centre, café and various other uses. My pictures start with the walled section enclosing the working buildings – the garden centre, book shop, café, the mower museum and the mortuary (the castle was used as a hospital during WW2 when they converted the butchers shop to the mortuary).
We strolled through the gardens. Relaxing and enjoyable the gardens were laid out in various areas starting with a pathway through the undergrowth for kids (even big kids) with the workers buildings prepared as they might have appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. There is a fairy garden with 10 fairy houses for the children, and we found each one, I think. Amongst the fairy houses was the original ice house for the castle. This is an underground shelter where workmen would cut out the river ice and store the ice in the ice house so the family could have ice during the summer.
Behind the wall work area is the manor house. It has been decorated for the same period. The children’s toys have been retained and are presented in a museum in one to the towers of the house.
We had visited the whiskey distillery before going to Picton Castle and did the tour as they claimed to have a secret to produce the best whiskey. Penderyn is the name of the whiskey, and I have brought home three samples of the brew. The distillery is modern in its design because it is resurrected from an earlier distillery and modernised. We arrived before opening time and to our surprise there was a coffee van open for trade for visitors like us – it is a converted horse float. Once the distillery opened and we were allowed to look around I took some photos that appear below. The bottle with the clear liquid is the refined whiskey and this is placed in a used cask and the whiskey draws its colour from the cask. To be legally sold as whiskey it must be aged in barrels for 3 year and 1 day. As I stated I have brought some samples home.
Pembroke Castle (Welsh: Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoration during the early 20th century.
In 1093, Arnulf of Montgomery built the first castle at the site when he fortified the promontory beside the Pembroke River during the Norman invasion of Wales. A century later, the castle was given by Richard I to William Marshal, who became one of the most powerful men in 12th-century Britain. He rebuilt Pembroke Castle in stone, creating most of the structure that remains today. The castle is open to the public and is the largest privately owned castle in Wales. Oliver Cromwell left the castle in ruins during the Civil War and it lay in ruins until 1880 when it was restored.
Pembroke Castle is literally around the corner from our accommodation. Kerry had had enough of castles and left me to do what ever I wanted. So I walked around the castle but when arriving at the entrance was daunted by how busy it was and I was feeling that I also had enough of castles. Below is my tour circumnavigating the castle which is the off the High St in Pembroke. The mounted knight is a memorial to William Marshall who served 5 Kings of England. The picture of the barred opening is the former access to the river – you can see this in the picture from 1880.
Our visit to Pembrokeshire was done and dusted so now we move onto Ebbw Vale and the Wye Valley which is towards the centre of Wales. Read on to see what we find in “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – CASTLE PEMBROKE to CRICKHOWELL (Ebbw Vale)”
One of the things I enjoy is to move off the beaten track and find the strange, unusual and forgotten. This is what happened when we were traveling between Cardiff and Pembroke. We earmarked Swansea as a place to take a break on the drive. I cannot recall if Weobly Castle was planned or just happened. I also cannot recall whether it was on the Cadw free list but I think not as no-one was looking after this place to any degree. Anyway, we ended up pulling onto a side road and passed Parc V Blocs farm shop and onto a sheep farm.
The remains of Weobley Castle remaining upon the farm. As we entered the site a sign notified us that we had to go to the shop to order our lamb and pay admission to the castle. The shop was an attachment to the farmhouse and the castle ruins stood beyond the shop standing on the edge of a precipice running down to the flood plain of a river and the sea. The grazing sheep and cattle looked the size of toys. If this was an important place to have a castle, then it was well positioned. My photos show the view from the floor of the castle and generally around all that remains whilst also showing you where they slaughter and dress the sheep carcasses. It felt like we had discovered somewhere forgotten.
We returned to Parc V Bloc for lunch and wondered just who would visit this place. Despite its business description it was a small supermarket café functional hall and pet barn all in one. Outside in the grounds was playground equipment and picnic tables – all in all I even expected used cars and farm equipment but that is going too far.
Next stop was Kidwelly Castle as a break in the trip to Tenby and Pembroke. This one was on our Cadw 7-day ticket and as my photos show it largely ruins except when the Queen is on her throne. As we were leaving the ticket office/gift shop a warrior queen in a glass case stood proudly challenging all passersby and reminded us of Celestial Starfall festivals.
The journey from Sutton Hoo to Cardiff is about 4 hours if the Gods are kind. We had a short stopover
Finding the address of your B&B is a bit difficult but we found the GPS in the car extremely good using postcodes to find our goal. However, we never really got a good understanding of the functionality or how to properly use the search function – the space bar could not be found which is ok for post codes awful for an address. The entrance into Cardiff is across a grand bridge but you have to get used to everything being written in Welsh with English subtitles. I found this very off-putting, and I don’t know why – in Europe it is like that everywhere.
The Landlord had organised a parking permit for us which meant we could park anywhere in the street and Neville Street proved to be a major throughfare to the city centre. We ventured to catch a bus – 3 different routes run through Neville St. So when in doubt ask a stranger on the street. This stranger was very helpful walking us to the point where the city centre was at the end of the second street around the corner from our B&B. The castle wall of Cardiff Castle extends to encircle a gloriously wild park, and the former gatehouse has become a coffee shop – very twenty-first century. There are gray squirrels and standing stones and the western gate that is not used anymore.
The wall from the gatehouse to the castle is adorned with animal sculptures but at this time I only photographed the twin lions on a gate to another side entrance being used for a wedding. We planned a visit to the castle and this occasion was a general walk around to learn where we might find various things. The castle walls are intact and dominate this part of town. The following day we went on a more formal visit and bought tickets to go inside. The castle is still in use but not for its original defensive purposes but more of a museum. There is a memorial to all the Welsh regiments raised for King and Country from the Welsh population in one basement area. Very comprehensive and explanatory but equally underlining futility of war. There is a dedication to the 7 VC awarded to soldiers in the Boer War for instance. Along with “modern” memorabilia there is a remnant of the Roman occupation in the form of a wall uncovered in preparation of the basement for this military memorial. The inserted sculptures are modern in the form of Roman sculptures around the time of the construction of the wall.
After that sobering visit Kerry found a friend to share his seat whilst I went across to the most ancient part of the castle- the Norman Keep. The sheltered walkways on the walls of the castle have been reconstructed but where they once connected to the much later constructed residence they are not open into the house unless you pay for the tour. Before visiting the Keep, Kerry and I took in the rooms of the house that are open to visitors. They have been decorated in the style that might have adorned the house when first built.
Kerry returned to her seat with Paddington whilst I challenged myself with a walk up the stairs of the Norman Keep. Rough and uneven, the stairs were a challenge but no defribulator at the top to help me recover. My photos below take you through the remaining parts of the towers (including the long drop that passes for a loo) – and the scenery around the tower and its walls.
We had both had enough of castles for the day and took time to look around the “High St” of the old town and some of the street art, the church, some of the colourful pubs and a street named “Hayes” Street. On the way home I photographed the walls of the castle decorated with various non-indigenous animals.
We had heard about some Roman ruins just outside of Cardiff and the Museum – “Roman Legionary Museum”. We have visited Rome and roman ruins in Rome, Verona, Pizza and Cesi and Carsulae outside Terni Italy plus Hadrian’s Wall and Littlecote Roman Villa in Wiltshire, so we were not expecting to be surprised but we were.
The town is a pretty Welsh village. Entry is gained through a single lane bridge, and the main street is clean and interesting. After parking in front of the site of the Roman Bath House at the back of a very popular local pub, we strolled through the village waiting for the building to open.
The pictures below take you on that stroll. First is the Priory – now an accommodation hotel but retaining the features of the former Priory with a pair of hares in the back yard. There are some interest wood carvings of a forest gnome, a priory student in cloche and priory guardian. Then there is the pub, a reused telephone box to house a defibrillator, a pretty pub, and the museum entrance.
The site is the location of the main Roman legion and fort for the subjugation of the Welsh tribes. Life at the edge of the Roman Empire could be short, hard and dangerous so this fort provided the legionaries a place for rest and relaxation, and it was also their barracks. I have included two of the pages from a comic book containing images of the likely appearance of the building, the interior of the enclosed pools, and the garrison. The baths comprised the hot room (“caldarium”), the warm room (“tepidarium”) and the cold room (“frigidarium”) – you can see the English words in the Latin description.
The pictures of the bathes with imagery of soldiers relaxing and using the spa follow. Photos of the replicas displayed in the Exhibition Hall are below.
Our entry fee included a visit to the museum. I have included photos of some of the exhibits. The building materials surprised me – properly design pipes and building blocks. They also had the epithets or headstones of graves and cremations. A stone casket. Partially restored tiles exhibited the beauty of the decorations.
We stopped at the Bull Inn for lunch and encountered Jeremy Clarkson and his farm products. Other things of interest appear in the following photos. St Cadocs’ Church and graveyard. The remains of the Roman amphitheatre and the carvings in the park. An annual event in the village produces these wonderful carvings.
Returning to Cardiff, Kerry, being ever thoughtful, thought she had found another castle – Castle Hensol. We used the GPS in our car and the postcodes for the destination to find everything and it worked perfectly, even on this occasion. Time brings about change and so it was with Castle Hensol. It was now the centre piece of a gated residential development and golf course. The wine tasting that the advertising had promised had led us on a wild goose chase. After a lot of guessing we found our way only to be disappointed. We needed a booking.
Castell Coch is very near to Cardiff and the drive was pleasant without too many narrow roads. Having said that, as we neared the Castell the roads narrowed, and the bush encroached onto a narrow lane. A sharp left-hand turn and a choice of two lanes presented. Fortunately, we took the correct lane into the car park. The Castell is hidden above the carpark. A portaloo was the sentinel to the carpark, and our first red robin came to show us the way forward. The Castell is undergoing renovation to close leaks into the stonework of the castle which amazingly requires that the stonework be given 2 years to dry out as part of the renovation.
Castell Coch (Welsh for ‘red castle’) is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built above the village of Tongwynlais in Wales. The first castle on the site was built by the Normans after 1081 to protect the newly conquered town of Cardiff and control the route along the River Taff. In 1760, the castle ruins were acquired by John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, as part of a marriage settlement that brought the family vast estates in South Wales. He turned it from castle to country house but rarely used it. In 1950 the 5th Marquess of Bute, placed it into the care of the state. It is now controlled by the Welsh heritage agency CADW. The surrounding Castell Coch beech woods contain rare plant species and unusual geological features and are protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The first picture shows the pleasant entrance to the castle. As you approach the castle, you see the former moat. No longer filled with water, it still stands as a barrier to enter the castle so a permanent draw bridge leads you into the castle. The castle is in the care of CADW the Welsh Government’s historic environment service which provides for the restoration and accessibility to these historic places. From the outside it is obvious that Cadw is doing its job. One part of the castle is clothed in a large sheet painted with images of the castle and a story on a large sign about the renovation. The walls of this section of the castle are being dried out. An entrance fee is payable, and the ticket office is on your right as you pass under the portcullis. Yes the castle still has it’s portcullis. The attendant is a pleasant Welsh lady who before taking our money tells us that instead of taking a ticket for this castle only we could buy a 3 day or 7-day pass and supports her statement with 2 brochures of the many places of interest that are cared for by CADW. It cost us a little over £50 for the 7-day pass and gave us a huge saving in respect of the future visits we planned to make.
With our self-guided tour, we roamed the Castell. Many of the rooms were filled with furniture from the past and gave us a good idea of the recent use of the place. The photos below follow our tour. Unusually they have kept and restored the chamber “the Winch Room” holding the machinery that operated the portcullis the draw bridge and the “murder hole”. The toilet has been modernised but remains in its original location such that the waste use to flow out over the castle walls. The Lady of the house had a bedroom in the top of one of the towers and was quite pleasant whist the Lord ‘s bedroom was one floor below. It held a single bed, a fireplace and was rudimentary. We joked about the labour of love climbing the stairs for nuptuals with the lady of the house.
The remaining castle that was open for viewing including the balconies circling the castle keep and the chapel, the keep, and the kitchen. I have included the brochure map showing the layout of the Castell (which appears to mean a non-fortified castle) and a photograph of the ruined state of the castle taken over by CADW.
There is no coffee shop at Castell Coch, so we returned to the car as we had heard been informed by the staff that there was a great café nearby. The directions were simply go back to the main road but turn hard left. We followed instructions and returned to the juncture of two laneways and turned hard left and found ourselves on a one-way path to a garden shed which has now been developed as the café. Very rough and rudimentary but it did the trick and even introduced us to a Welsh delicacy. After coffee we headed for Caerphilly Castle which was very nearby.
Caerphilly Castle
This castle is also controlled by CADW. Where Castell Coch had been in the bush/forest, Caerphilly Castle is a famous castle located in a modest size town. Parking is always the trick to visit a castle. How long are you going to need and how far have you to walk to reach it. In the pictures below I start with a view of part of the castle, followed by another view. It is immense. The moat is more a lake and the drawbridge shows how wide the moat is at its narrowest point. Inside is a secondary defensive wall. A make-believe dragon pit has been added to match myth with reality. One of these towers has been partly demolished by the Roundheads when they formed the Commonwealth in the 17th century.
The Castle has been decorated to tell the story of a queen of England married to her King at 13 and fifteen respectively and her surviving to give birth to 18 children and outliving her King and then surviving the aftermath of his death. For some reason my photos have not survived. A truly magnificent castle. We spent our time in the castle finishing with lunch on the deck of a hotel overlooking a magnificent view of the castle. Note in the picture on the left above that there is a “bloke” holding up the tumbling tower. It is in fact a prop and the tower is tilted by a bomb placed by the Roundheads Army which over ran the castle in the 17th century.
Our plan is to return home and rest up as we will have a big day tomorrow when THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SUTTON HOO UK to CARDIFF WALES – CAERLEON.
To the south of Cardiff is a bay having the obvious name Cardiff Bay. We made our way around to Barry Island. It’s the middle of school break and the middle of summer – everyone should be at the beach. Well not in Cardiff. We took a walk around the township and the beaches were deserted and the carnival had not started. Oops we have arrived too early it doesn’t start till 10.00 am. Even so the weather is not inviting you onto the beach and the water is hardly more than a mill pond – not exciting at all. The beach huts are polished and painted but no body is around. There is a clever beach side kids climbing wall with one lad having a go but he is a bit small as yet.
The Bay played a part in the second World War and a demounted concreted base stands testament to the place where the telescope was replaced by a gun. We walk around the headland path and come across an automated lighthouse and it is the sentinel for Nellie Point. My late Mum was named Nellie and I felt a little chuffed that she had the same name as this Point. The path comes to a dead end where it ends in a cliff and a small beach. A passing local tells us there is a pathway on the other side of the beach, but the gradient is so steep that locals call it “death hill”. So warned, we turn around and walk back. After collecting the car, we take a drive around to a different beach where Kerry pulls out our picnic thermos of coffee and some biscuits. This beach is covered in pebbles and has been severely eroded.
We decided to extend our trip to another beach side at Penarth to the east of the Bay. Lots more activity over here. Penarth is famous locally for its pier – the Brits love these piers. They also love oddly designed public baths. In the pictures below is what looks to be an odd house with a tower when in fact it is an odd public bath house – go figure. The beach is backed by some dramatic cliffs and steep walks up the hills. The pier is very long due to the shallow waters. You can see in my pictures a boat sitting in the boat channel and how far off the land they sit.
Emblazoned on the wall of the kiosk at the commencement of the pier is a memoriam to Miss Kathleen Thomas who braved the chill water in 1927 to swim from Penarth to Weston-Super-Mare on the English side of the Bristol Channel. The plaque suggests that no one else has beaten her time for the swim. I reckon its just too bloody cold.
The ice cream shop beckoned. So, ice cream in hand we weaved back to our car parked some distance from the pier and ended our beach side tour for the day. As we walk to the car we pass a passage where sheltered in the back is small cottage taking advantage of the seaside views.
Tomorrow we will commence our castle hunting with a visit to Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle. Watch for THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – CARDIFF WALES – CASTELL COCH AND CAERPHILLY CASTLE.
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