Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Aberystwyth

And yet another of Edward 1st's castles.  This one was in Aberystwyth.




 

Powis Castle

We visited another castle, Powis Castle near Welshpool.  It is a medieval castle with world famous terraced gardens.  The yew trees are hundreds of years old. In some of them you can walk inside the canopy of the tree and it is like a little house in there.

Powis Castle is unlike other castles in Wales, it was not built by the English to rule and subdue the Welsh but was built by a dynasty of Welsh princes. The castle dates back to 1266.

It has been lived in by descendents of these Welsh princes right up till about the 1960's when it was given to the National Trust.  It is beautifully furnished, houses many fine paintings and there are magnificent painted ceilings throughout the house.







Cilgerran Castle

We visited the 13th century ruin of Cilgerran Castle with it's unusual towers, still standing today.  The castle was first mentioned in 1165.

The castle sits by the River Teifi and when climbing up onto the walls of the castle you get great views of the river.



 

Devil's Bridge and Jacobs Ladder

After leaving the Pembrokeshire coast we drove into the mountains and valleys of mid Wales.  Our base for next couple of days was Rhayador.  We went to the Devils Bridge and Jacobs Ladder not far from Aberystwyth.  Devils Bridge is three bridges, one on top of the other, the lower bridge built over a waterfall and Jacobs Ladder is the 100 very steep steps that lead down to the base of the waterfall.

According to the legend the original bridge was built by the devil, as it was too difficult for mortals to build. The agreement stipulated that the Devil would build the bridge in return for the soul of the first life to cross the bridge. The Devil built the bridge but was tricked by an old woman who threw bread onto the bridge. Her dog crossed the bridge for the bread, thus becoming the first life to cross the new bridge.

The 2nd and 3rd bridges were built in the 1700's and then the 20th century.  The falls are 300 feet.







 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

We visited many beautiful beaches in Pembrokeshire, but my favourite would have to be Barafundle Bay because of it's location.

You have to drive and park your car at Stackpole Quay and then climb the steps to the top of the hill and walk along a marked track over the rolling hills that dip down towards the sea and become cliffs.
When you reach the top of the hill there is a stone wall and then some steep steps that lead down to the beautiful Barafundle Bay beach.  There is no other way to get there.  Even though it is hard to get there, there were quite a few people on the beach and in swimming.  But definitely not as crowded as other beaches.






 

Pentre Ifan

Pentre Ifan is an ancient Neolithic burial chamber that sits a hilltop site in a beautiful setting with stunning views over Fishguard Bay and the Preseli Mountains.
Dating from around 4000 BC it is  the remains of a dolmen type chambered tomb which would have been used for communal burials.

Pentre Ifan is the bottom photo. The first two are another burial chamber, in another field.  It is much smaller than Pentre Ifan.




 

Tenby

Tenby or in Welsh Dinbych-y-pysgod, meaning little town of the fishes or little fortress of the fish, is a medieval walled town. 

It has a lovely sandy beach as well as a busy fishing harbour.

The town itself is very pretty.  The streets are lined with colourful little cottages in pastel colours of pink, blue and yellow.

There are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants.  There is a lovely coastal walk that winds it way up to the top of the hill and provides stunning views of the bay and nearby islands.

We visited Tenby several times as it was only 8 miles from where we were staying in Lamphey.






Pembrokeshire

We have explored almost every inch of the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast.  There are pretty villages, beautiful sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and surprisingly few people.  Sensational views as come down to the bays from the roads up high on hills.  Wild ponies and even ancient burial sites.  Many ruined castles do the landscape.  The Normans plonked a castle in every little hamlet they could.  We have driven down impossibly narrow roads hoping all the while not to meet something coming the other way.  We rarely did.





 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Mumbles to Port Eyron

Yesterday we went for a drive along the narrow country lanes hugging the coastline.  We drove to Swansea and then on to Mumbles.  There is a pier at Mumbles but it is currently being refurbished and wasn't open.

From there we continued on along the coast stopping at various bays and inlets until we reached Port Eyron at the end of the peninsula.

It is spectacular coastline with rugged cliffs and smugglers caves, beautiful sandy beaches and many small islands just off shore.

After Port Eyron the road takes you up and away from the coast, climbing up to a plateau where the views are breathtaking and there are hundreds of wild Welsh ponies grazing in the pastures at the side of the road.

Our final destination for the day was Tenby about 8 miles from where we are staying.  It is a lovely seaside town.  There is a busy fishing harbour on one side and a lovely protected beach on the other.  The town itself is pretty with cute cottages painted in pastel colours of blue, pink and green.  Every shop and house has a display of hanging baskets of colourful blooms.  The town has won many awards.

We went for a lovely coastal walk around the bay which takes you past the harbour and the beach and around to the lifeboat station.  Tenby has the worlds most advanced lifeboat.  We had just missed seeing it launched last night, but we did see it out at sea.














Tuesday, July 23, 2013

We have arrived in Wales.  We are staying at a lovely hotel in Lamphey near Pembroke.  The hotel is more like a stately home.  Full of antiques, paintings and fine furniture.  As you walk up the stairs and into the entrance there is a grand staircase leading up to the rooms.  The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the rolling green hills dotted with sheep.  Across the road is the ruins of the Bishop of Lamphey's Palace.