50 Castles

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 39 Dinefwr Castle

Perched in a commanding hilltop position above the Tywi Valley, Dinefwr Castle occupies a similarly significant position in Welsh history. In the 12th century, the fortress was in the possession of The Lord Rhys, ruler of the
ancient south Wales kingdom of Deheubarth.
Dinefwr eventually fell into English control in 1287 and remained there for centuries, despite Owain Glyndŵr’s attempt to wrest it back during his uprising of 1403.

https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-tovisitdinefwr-castle

This is all National Trust , so didn’t go further because I’m Cadw

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 40 Carreg Cennen

Carreg Cennen was part of a wave of fortresses built by Marcher lords throughout Wales after the Edwardian conquest. Its ‘castle within a castle’ layout and twin towered gatehouse make it a classic example – and one that was never softened by later ‘gentrification’.
Carreg Cennen was garrisoned for the last time by
Lancastrian forces during the Wars of the Roses. After its capture by Sir Roger Vaughan in 1462 a force of 500 men took four laborious months to dismantle the castle with picks and crowbars.

More about Carreg Cennen | Cadw

cadw.gov.wales

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 41 Loughor Castle

The ruins are those of a castle that commanded what was once a low-tide fording point across the Loughor Estuary. It wasn’t just the Normans who appreciated its strategic value. One thousand years earlier the Romans constructed the fort of Leucarum on this site. A 12th-century earthworks castle, burnt by the Welsh in 1151, was replaced in the next century with a stone fortress, a single
tower of which survives along with the foundations of curtain walls.

Loughor Castle | Cadw

Thou shalt not cross It’s easy to see why Loughor was built here. The ruins are those of a castle that commanded what was once a low-tide fording point across the Loughor Estuary. It wasn’t just the Normans who appreciated its strategic value. One thousand years earlier the Romans constructed...

cadw.gov.wales

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 42 Weobley Castle

The existing buildings were largely created between 1304 and 1327 by the de la Bere family
The castle was attacked and damaged by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century, but most of the building was left standing

Weobley Castle, Gower - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In private ownership ( I think ) and it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to disturb the wedding photographs wearing a ‘twat suit’

 

[GrinningGSer]

I’m retiring for the evening by a favourite beach and I’ve never seen it misty before

Off for a stroll now , in anticipation of forecast thunder showers tomorrow .

 

[GrinningGSer]

Lovely evening ; perhaps the end of this fab summer weather

Will my GSA’s foot extender keep it upright in a thunderstorm on grass ?

 

[Wapping]

This is all National Trust , so didn’t go further because I’m Cadw

Splitter!

 

[GrinningGSer]

8th and final day of riding ;

Thundershowers forecast and I’ve enjoyed eight days of fabulous hot weather

Castle 43 Oxwich Castle

Viewed from my campsite at dusk
It’s a magnificent Tudor manor house built by an
ambitious father and son whose mock-military flourishes are all about social climbing rather than defence.

Welcome to Show Me Wales - Show Me Wales

Your adventure begins right here, right now - let us Show you the Wales you might be missing and find your perfect place to stay, explore and visit our great attractions, events and activities. Five…

www.visitmidwales.co.uk

do/oxwich-castle-cadw-p1724241

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 44 Swansea Castle

Though there has been a castle here since at least the early 12th century, the remains that stand today date from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The most striking feature
is the distinctive arcaded parapet on the south block,It was founded by Henry de Beaumont in 1107 as the caput of the lordship of Gower.

Swansea Castle | Cadw

Urban remnants of a once-mighty fortress Though what little remains of Swansea Castle is now hemmed in by the modern-day city centre, this was once a fortress of great strategic importance. Nowadays, it’s difficult to envisage its original location on a clifftop above where the River Tawe used...

cadw.gov.wales

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 45 Coety Castle

The castle began as a late 11th century ringwork. A rectangular stone keep and the main curtain wall were added by the Normans in the 12th century, under the de Turberville family

https://www.visitwales.com/attraction/castle/coity-castle-

cadw-1206978

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 46 Newcastle Castle

This is another , where I needed to ask a young couple “ There’s a castle here somewhere and I can’t find it !”

Along with its neighbours at Coity and Ogmore,
Newcastle guarded the important river crossings which once controlled access into Glamorgan when much of this part of the country was under native Welsh control.

https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/newcastle-

bridgend

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 47 Ogmore Casle

Lovely !! A setting with;

A riding school

And a crossing to challenge anyone

Overlooking a picturesque river crossing still marked by a series of ancient stepping stones, Ogmore (along with Coity and Newcastle) is part of a trio of fortresses built to guard Glamorgan against attacks from the Welsh-held west.
Beginning as a castle of earth and wood in the early 12th century, it was quickly fortified in stone before being further strengthened with a curtain wall in the early 13th century.

Ogmore Castle | Cadw

Step into the past Overlooking a picturesque river crossing still marked by a series of ancient stepping stones, Ogmore (along with Coity and Newcastle) is part of a trio of fortresses built to guard Glamorgan against attacks from the Welsh-held west. Beginning as a castle of earth and wood in...

cadw.gov.wales

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 48 Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansionlocated in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort. The castle was commissioned either by William the Conqueror or by Robert Fitzhamon, and
formed the heart of the medieval town of Cardiff and the Marcher Lord territory of Glamorgan. In the 12th century the castle began to be rebuilt in stone, probably by Robert of Gloucester, with a shell keep and substantial defensive walls being erected.

Cardiff Castle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Too busy here to stop and take a photo !

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 49 Newport Castle

Newport Castle is a ruined castle in Newport, Wales. It was built in the 14th century, probably by Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester or his son-in-law, Ralph, Earl of Stafford, with the purpose of managing the crossing of the River Usk

Newport Castle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I arrived with the castle on my left and heavy traffic ‘up my arse ‘ so did not stop for photographs.

 

[GrinningGSer]

Castle 50 Caldecott Castle

The route takes you past Caerwent ; one of the most impressive Roman town settlements , the town supporting the Garrison at Caerleon , but that’s another story

Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales, built near the site of Harold Godwinson's former Saxon castle by the Norman earls of Hereford from about 1100.
The castle became a Grade I listed building on 10 June 1953.

Caldicot Castle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[GrinningGSer]

That’s my 890 mile journey complete .
I now need to get home , reunite with my loved ones, wash my stinky gear , dry my tent out , get my rear tyre properly fixed etc etc

The bike has performed superbly throughout .

 

[Wapping]

Thanks for the ‘adventure’ and taking the trouble to share all the potted histories.

Excellent.

 

[Rusty]

Thanks for the ‘adventure’ and taking the trouble to share all the potted histories.

Excellent.

Here Here ! Really well done. That's a decent challenge and thank you for taking the time and trouble to post !

 

[Tinytim]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute.....what about Crickhowell Castle and Castle Tump ( Trecastle) ?

Really enjoyed that trip thank you.

 

[wessie]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute.....what about Crickhowell Castle and Castle Tump ( Trecastle) ?

Really enjoyed that trip thank you.

yes, enjoyed that but was expecting to see Penhow Castle between Newport & Caldicot