Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle looks impregnable, but was in fact captured so many times that it is nicknamed the 'Castle of Lost Causes'. It is hard to imagine the force that would be able to overcome the steep rock hill, much less the high walls above it. Even from the train station the castle dominated the skyline.

I loved the remains of the chimney. Something about the cutaway round stone spire was striking.

This was another tower not meant for those uncomfortable with heights.

The contrast between the courtyard and the seascape beyond the walls was so great that looking through the doorways and windows seemed like looking at paintings, or into Narnia.

Mist hung on the mountains in the other direction.

Beside the castle was an odd statue of a king bearing the body of his dead nephew. 

From Harlech I took the train to the bizarre Utopian community of Portmeirion.