Caernarfon Castle

I would nominate Caernarfon Castle as the castle I saw on my trip most likely to be used in a Disney movie. Caernarfon Castle was meant to be the center of the English government in Wales and to house the royal palace. Its design is quite pretty. Its polygonal towers are banded with layers of different color masonry overlooking the bay, and it is well maintained/reconstructed. 

The glass overlook from the secondary gate is where the royal family addressed the crowds when naming Charles as the Prince of Wales. An exhibit of the crowning and other royal visits was just inside. 

The platform looks out over a quaint square, where I later had a lunch of Welsh stew, which bore a striking resemblance to Irish stew. 

The main gate is even more imposing, even after already climbing the ramparts to its opening. 

It was possible to walk between the walls to the tops of each tower, so of course I did precisely that. Some towers contained exhibits, including one on the Royal Welsh Fusiliers infantry regiment and one on Edward the First's military campaigns and castle strategy. 

Some of the weathered tower tops were quite striking.

Walking around the outside, I was intrigued by this section of the wall that was clearly either intended to be extended or had been demolished at some point. 

After my leisurely tour and late lunch, I walked around the city walls, which were built at the same time as the castle and which originally no Welsh people could enter. I then walked by the docks and up a nearby hilltop park to look out over the castle. During the walk up I saw some teenagers get busted for drinking and littering and get put to work helping the cops clean up the trash in the park. 

The view was nice, both of the castle and the surrounding shore and town.

After a low-key evening and more questionable meatloaf, I spent another night at the hostel, which was a block away from the castle. 

St. Davids, Haverford West, and far too much time spent in transit

I arrived in St. Davids just in time to see the cathedral at dusk. St. Davids is Britain's smallest city. In the U.K., the distinction between city and town is not a matter of population but of the rank of the church building erected there, so by virtue of the cathedral St. Davids would be considered to be a city even if no one lived there, which is close to true since the population is under 2,000. 

That night I bought meat and eggs to go with a loaf of bread which had completely crumbled in order to make meatloaf. Stocked with supplies, I walked out the two miles to the local hostel which was, of course, closed until Easter. I tried to sleep under a tree nearby, but it was too rainy and cold, so I walked back to the city to try to find some ruins or anywhere sheltered to sleep. I failed. Eventually I gave in and got a room in a bed and breakfast. 

The cathedral looked much the same in the early morning as it had the evening before. 

The distinctive purple stone on the main entrance did make quite the impression, though.

Across a small stream was the old bishop's palace. 

Black and white checkered bricks and tiles were a common theme in this ruin.

There was a nice view of the cathedral from this former mansion.

From St. Davids I backtracked off of the peninsula. The day involved ten and a half hours of time in transit or waiting for public transit. Wales' transportation system sucks compared to that in England and Scotland, especially in terms of frequency. Among my layovers was one in Haverford West, where I looked at the shell of the old castle and wandered the shops. 

I noticed that the Welsh brewing company's logo seemed to be warning of zombie dragons: 

Also in Haverford West, I bought Canterbury Tales and On the Road from the Oxfam bookshop. The British Heart Association, Aid for the Elderly, Breast Cancer Cure, and other causes all have stores that have volunteers sell donations to raise money for their cause. I donated the books I'd finished so far on my travels: Tolstoy's Resurection and an early sci-fi work by Arthur C. Clark. Thankfully I called ahead to the hostel in Porthmadog so that I found out in advance that it was full and that the nearby castle is closed on Sundays anyway (Sunday was the bane of my travels). Thus, I went on to Caernarfon. On the last leg of the trip, a bunch of rowdy guys were loudly speaking Welsh and consuming large quantities of alcohol. The bus driver even waited while they got more bottles and cans to openly drink on the bus then toss to the floor. I somehow don't think that would fly on the bus in most parts of the US. 

In the hostel in Caernarfon, I made an ill-advised meatloaf with the ingredients I had left unrefrigerated in my pack for about twenty-four hours now, along with the crumbled bread that was by this point slightly off despite still being sealed. Surprisingly, there were no adverse effects of this foolhardy choice. Sometimes I'm amazed I'm still alive. 

Carreg Cennen Castle and Onward

In the morning I took a bus out to Llandeilo. From there it was a three mile walk to Carreg Cennen castle. Along the way I saw dozens of dead frogs on a small stretch of the road and dozens more splotches that may have once been frogs. I have no idea what happened to cause that. The castle was impressive, even from a distance, overlooking the fields from its high bluff. 

Inside the ruins, a small passage lead to natural limestone tunnels, which contain a well. 

Had I known that there would be no one around for miles, that the castle is left unfenced and unlocked, and that these tunnels existed I would have slept here. The caverns would be excellent shelter from the elements.

Once I had my fill of looking down the limestone cliffs over the fields, I walked back to town, then took a bus to Carmarthan. I had a layover there before the train went through, and so I wandered the shopping streets and visited the very ruined castle in town. From there I went on by train and bus to St. Davids. 

Kidwelly Castle

Kidwelly Castle is fantastic. 

I don't know what to say about it other than my usual 'castles are awesome' spiel. 

I always enjoy sketches of how the castles would have looked at the time of their peak use.

I ended the day in Llanelli, which was frustrating in that it had highly misleading 'tourist information' signs that didn't actually go anywhere because the tourist information office had been closed. After walking in circles following the signs and maps, I eventually made my way to the tourist information shop for the wetland conservation center  three miles from the town center, where I lodged a complaint about the deeply irresponsible signs. I did get directed to a relatively cheap bed and breakfast, which was the goal in the first place, so it worked out. I had an early night to momentarily recuperate from my manic travel style. 

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey is another majestic ruin.

I wondered at the significance of these nestled doors:

The interesting shape of the columns was all the more apparent when they were broken. 

I felt lucky to flag down the bus in the dark. Upon my returned to Cardiff I ate kebabs then watched another movie in the hostel common room while getting my internet fix. 

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow castle is one of the oldest in Wales and sits right upon the border with England. 

I liked the stairwell in the great hall that was clearly meant to start from a second floor that no longer exists. 

The castle gatehouse holds beautifully weathered wooden doors that date from 1159-89.

The castle is actually best viewed from across the river in England, so I walked into the neighboring country.

The imposing cliffs over the river bank make it obvious why the castle was built in this location.

Once I'd taken in the view I walked back into Wales and caught the bus to Tintern Abbey.