I was reading the Guardian, as usual, and they had a photo essay of the ten best castles in Great Britain. Of the ten, several were in Wales, which is a land of castles. The country is ringed on both the coast and inland by a ring of stone, which were the castles of Wales defending the country against invaders from the land and sea. Castles are used for fortifications and palaces are used for living – think Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
When I lived in Wales, I was lucky enough to live in St. Donat’s Castle, have friends who owned Fonmon Castle, be a 15 minute drive from Caerphilly Castle be in the same town as Cardiff Castle,have a ghostly experience at White Castle,
and spend the afternoon with the children at St. Fagan’s Castle.
In addition, I passed the ruins of the Aberthaw Castle on my drive to work each day, saw a fairytale castle en route to London at Castle Coch,
spent the day in the Town of Books, Hay-on-Wye, with it's semi-abandoned Hay Castle,and explored the ruins of Ogmore Castle while spending the afternoon at the beach.Those are just a few of the castles where I’ve been fortunate enough to be able pass significant time.
How beautiful! It's amazing to me that such places were once so numerous and that so many are still standing. Think of all the people who built them, lived in them, have been caretakers and visitors in the centuries they've been standing...
ReplyDeleteIt simply amazing that these intricate structures built so long ago are still standing. I have never been to Whales, but have visited the castles in London. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeletewonderful tour, Meg you should organize a jaunt over for your readers.GT
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of my favorite posts you've written Meg! Beautiful castles, and how lucky you were to spend time at each and every one!
ReplyDeleteLucky you! They are enchanting, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteLA is right, a reader tour would be great. Failing that, I'm going to Wales next summer with a blog tour listing.
ReplyDeleteIechyd da!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post and lovely experience. Hope that you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThey are ALL out of a fairy tale--thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! And now I long to go back to the and tour... well, any castle!
ReplyDeleteI used to live at St. Donat's Castle too! What years were you there?
ReplyDeletei followed the trail of breadcrumbs back here from your December post
ReplyDeletei've been drawing designs for my perfect we castle for years
it has a certain similarity to Castle Coch
and includes a walled garden
and a staircase that doubles as a water feature on rainy days
my room will be in the tallest tower
but with bigger windows
now all i have to do is write that airport novel
to earn the dosh with which to begin construction....