Historical Sign.

I don't think I'll be learning Welsh anytime soon.

 

Dolbadarn Castle.

This was the only tower left of an original Welsh castle (vs. English-built castle) up on a hill guarding a long valley near Mt. Snowdon. It wasn't much to look at but the location (which I couldn't do justice without an IMAX camera) was outstanding.

 

Dolbadarn Castle Stairs.

Again with the stairs.

 

Iron Age Hill Fort.

Just on the next rise and a hair higher than Dolbadarn Castle was a grouping of rocks stuck into the ground in a way that wasn't quite natural. There was nothing but the sound of the wind up here. After relaxing for a while in the tall grass, an older gentlemen arrived with his Jack Russell. It turns out he comes there all the time to unwind and contemplate life. I asked him about the rock and he shared the history that this was a very old lookout post (pointing out the excellent views up/down the valley and the steep grade all around). The dog must have been old as it sat still most of the time.

 

Mt. Snowdon Peak.

A view from just below the peak during one of the few breaks in the coulds which continually drifted by obscuring and then revealing a breathtaking view. If you look closely (or have Superman vision), you can see domestic sheep wandering around the steep cliffs.

 

Mt. Snowdon in the Clouds.  

Mt. Snowdon Out of Clouds.

The clouds were fickle, rolling in blocking the view and then rolling out revealing the view. When I first arrived on top, it was fogged in. Every now and then you would get a glimpse of what was out there. Eventually, the clouds rolled off and didn't return.

 

Level Camera off Mt. Snowdon.

This picture was taken with the camera pretty much level with the horizontal I was standing on and shows the 80 degree and steeper grades off the peak.

 

Fence Ladder.

I didn't realize but Britain is completely criss-crossed with walking paths, much of which crosses private property. To cross the many fences without risking letting the livestock loose, they put in ladders such as these. I think that's an excellent approach - responsible public use of private lands for recreation.

 

Jeb and the Snowdon Valley.

I'm near the summit taking a picture North toward the Irish Sea, which you can see in the far background. You can see a portion of the trail down in the middle of the screen.

 

Trail back down Mt. Snowdon.

A view of the trail back down. I took the Snowdon railway up (an old coal-driven engine) and then hiked back down.

 

Carreg Cennen Castle.

This castle was the most dramatic I visited. From the distance it appears gentle, but the slope up to the castle is intense. Also, the other side of the castle sits on top of a sheer (90 deg) cliff face that overlooks the next valley.

 

Carreg Cennen View.

A view off the back side of the castle perch. I'm not yet in the castle, so you can imagine hwo imposing an additional x feet of castle wall would be from this vantage point.

 

View from Ruined Arrow Cross.

A view from what was an arrow cross out across the valley. I could handle this view.

 

Latrine Chute.

The entrance to the toilet plumbing. It's a lonnnnng way down.

 

Latrine Chute.

This is the exit of the toilet plumbing. How do I know this? The sign on the wall says so. I ended up seeing these on almost every castle. As gross as it sounds, I'm willing to bet someone managed to invade a castle through one of these things, despite most of them being between 3-6 stories high.

 

Secret Water Supply. Carreg

Cennen had a secret water supply in a cavern beneath the castle. There was a pathway, a staircase, and a slippery hike with a torch (flashlight) down into the cavern to the water supply. Very cool... and practicaly in the event of a seige.

 

Stair down to Cavern 

Cavern.

Yes, I went down into that for about 50 yards.

 

Carreg Cennen.

A view from the front of the castle.

 

Carreg Cennen. Here you can see the covered walkway to the cavern (bottm left), the latrine shoot (bottom of the tower), and a portion of the cliff on the back side.  

Dryslwyn Castle (or what's left of it)

This was a really interesting ruin because you could more or less tell what had been where by the mounds all around. It's up all by itself on this little knoll with sheep grazing all around and a little stream at the bottom of the hill. There historical signs indicated that this castle was the site of a large seige with something like 20,000 troops surrounding the castle and eventually contributing much to its ruin.

 

Carew Castle Window 

Carew Castle

A handsome 13th century castle that was later modified into more of a fortified manor house. It sits right next to a tidal pond and mill. The front facade still had several intact rooms with stairs, fireplaces, and features which assisted in imagining what it would have been like to have been here at its prime.

 

Carew Facade