DAY 13 – From Rosslare, we crossed by ferry to Pembroke and travelled through the Welsh countryside - destination Cardiff Castle.  Cardiff was first occupied by the Romans who built a fort here in AD75.  Little is known of its post-Roman history until Robert FitzHamon was given land here in 1093.

FitzHamon was a knight in the service of William the Conqueror and he built the first Norman fort here.  The Clock Tower was built on the foundations of a Roman bastion at the South West angle of the medieval curtain wall.  The faces of the clock are flanked by statues representing the principal planets with their respective zodiac on the pedestals and the bell is a half-scale model of the one in Victoria Tower, Westminster.  Built during the period 1869-1873, the Clock Tower rises to a height of 40m and consists of seven stories.  Additions made in the 13th and 14th centuries included a gatehouse with a stone staircase leading to the stone bridge, which in turn replaced the timber drawbridge across the moat.  After the Norman period, the castle passed through the hands of several powerful families over the next 700 years.  It landed in the hands of John Stuart, son of the Earl of Bute in 1766.  Stuart’s great-grandson, the Third Marquess of Bute, employed William Burges to create a mansion.

William Burges was an eccentric architect and between 1867 and 1881, he designed this ornate mansion, rich in details.  Lord Bute called in distinguished local historians and he assisted with tracing the history of the Castle.  He also set up the Bute Workshops and employed the finest Welsh craftsmen to work on the castle. 

A visit inside the castle is most worthwhile and you’ll get to see the amazing and elaborate decoration of Lord Bute’s bedroom, dining & smoking rooms and library.  Unfortunately, photography is not permitted within the castle rooms so we’re not able to share the visual treat with you.  There is also a secret passage to get out of the castle.

When Burges died in 1881, his work was continued by his former assistant William Frame.  It was William Frame who added this array of animals to the west wall of the castle.  These animals were added between 1885 and 1930.

Cardiff castle was a great place to visit and it’s a shame that we do not have the internal photographs to share with you.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

DAY 7 – At Holyhead we boarded our ferry for Dublin.  For those interested in technology, this high-tech gangplank was interesting to watch as the gangplank itself consisted of metal slats that were raised electronically.

Our ferry, the Ulysses is the largest car ferry in the world, according to Irish Ferries.  The stats are quite impressive, i.e. it is 12 decks high, has 3 miles of car parking space and holds 1,342 cars and 2,000 passengers.  Facilities on board include restaurants, cinemas, TV lounges, children’s play area and two large lounge bars and a shop.  The Ulysses operate two return sailings each day between Holyhead and Dublin Port and the trip takes approximately 3 hrs 15 mins. 

We were rather impressed that there were cinemas on board and decided that a movie was the best way to past the time.  The 2003 movie Veronica Guerin was playing and on reflection, it probably wasn’t a smart movie choice to set the mood for our arrival in Dubin. 

Veronica Guerin is the true story of the assassinated Irish journalist, Veronica Guerin.  In the mid-1990s, Dublin resembled a war zone, with a few powerful drug lords battling for control.  Veronica was the crime reporter for the Sunday Independent investigating the criminal underworld in Ireland and she was gunned down in 1996.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

DAY 7 – Before crossing the Menai Straits we passed through the world-famous village with the very Welsh name of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch — you’ve got to have Welsh blood to be able to work out the pronounciation, but once you work out how the syllables come together, it’s helpful to break the word down to segments as follows: Llan – fair – pwll -gwyn – gyll – go – ger – ych – wyrn – drob – wll – llan – ty – silio – go – go – goch. And what this translates into is : Saint Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave.

For centuries, Llanfairpwll was a small rural settlement.  However, as a result of road construction by Thomas Telford in the 1820s and the arrival of the railway crossing at Britannia Bridge at the beginning of the 1850s, led to the development of a new part of the village (Pentre Isaf, Lower Village) around the railway station. With transport, came a number of craftsmen, traders and shopkeepers who moved into the village, and Llanfairpwll became an important commercial centre.

This exciting period saw the establishment of a Post Office, two schools, half a dozen pubs, a brewery, a hotel for visitors and 12 grocers in the village.  By 1889, the population had reached 961. 

Inside the James Pringle Visitors Centre next to the old station house, you’ll be able find Welsh crafts, gifts and souvenirs, including the station’s record-breaking size platform tickets.  Don’t forget to get your passport stamped with the village’s name.  It’s probably not legal to do this, but how could you give up the opportunity. 

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

DAY 7 – Leaving Chester, we crossed into North Wales and had a brief stop in Conwy to have a glimpse of its massive castle.  Conwy is a medieval walled town. Conwy Castle was built by Edward I in the 13th century as one of the key fortresses in his ‘iron ring’ of castles to contain the Welsh.  The walls form an almost unbroken shield around the old town and the Castle guards one of the best-preserved medieval fortified towns in Britain.  The well-preserved town walls were fortified with 21 towers and three gateways. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we did not get to climb the castle walls.

 Conwy is said to be one of Britain’s most underrated historic towns, although in our short walk down the main street, we observed a rather sleepy feel about the place.  Ironically, whilst the walls were built to keep out the masses, the hoards of invading tourists today are very much welcomed in Conwy.

Apart from the Castle the other dominant landmark of Conwy is the Suspension Bridge.  Thomas Telford, a Scottish engineer, was responsible for many of Britain’s roads, bridges and canals. Completed in 1826, it was designed in a castellated style to blend with the Castle.  Telford matched the bridge’s supporting towers with the castle’s turrets, a style similar to one of his other famous bridges, the Menai Suspension Bridge.

Walking across the bridge, it was amazing to note how solid the structure is.  Before the contruction of this bridge, ferry was the only means of cross the estuary.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog