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Photo Journal of our 1990 Trip To Wales Day 8 By Rhuddlwm Gawr |
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DAY 8.......MONDAY JULY 30
This morning we first visited The Fairy Glen, then Dolwyddelan Castle, then Snowdonia National Park, then visited the Museum of the North at Llanberis. We finally visited Dolbadarn Castle. We continued our stay in Betws-y-coedd.FAIRY GLEN
 Lady Cerridwen in the midst of The Fairy Glen
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 Another View of the Faerie (Fairy) Glen
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 The River below
the Fairy Glen |
DOLWYDDEN CASTLE
If Dracula had
owned a Welsh castle, it would have been Dolwyddelan Castle, about 5 miles southwest of
Betws-y-Coed on A 470. Although there's nothing remotely Gothic about this native
Welsh structure, when you see it wrapped in patches of mist and bathed with eerie shafts
of light, its simple solitary square tower is quite awesome. The castle is barely
accessable, even today. its first line of defense is a five-bar gate, followed by a
farmyard full of barking dogs. Next there is a trudge up a steep track, through a siege of
chomping Friesian cattle (and a final slosh through mud if there's been any rain), and
then a perilous climb up the inside of the tower to its battlements, from where the view
over the Lledr valley is, literally, breathtaking. it clearly wasn't weaponry that kept
the enemy at bay here-physical exhaustion sufficed.
Rumor has it that Llewlyn was born here, but it is more likely that he was born in a
castle built earlier somewhere down in the valley. It is almost certain however, that he
built Dolwyddelan. The reason may be difficult to fathom, since the castle's isolated
position seems to bestow no defensive role whatsoever. But it did, in fact, guard an old
road, the Medieval pass from Meirionnydd to the Vale of Conwy. From the battlements,
restored by the Victorians, its location makes much more sense. There is no evidence for
any building at the present castle site earlier than the early 13th century, when the area
came under Llywelyn's control. The site covers two routes into Snowdonia, and
admirably demonstrates Llywelyn's scheme of defence and control.
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The secondary nature of the west tower is proven by straight joints at each end where it abuts the curtain wall. This tower, a little larger, but less seriously defended than the keep, is believed to have been built by Edward I. Its ground-floor doorway and windows have sandstone surrounds, the only instance of imported stone being used in the castle. It had an upper room with a large fireplace and its own latrines.
The alterations made by Maredudd ap Ieuan in 1488 increased the accommodation and convenience, but it must have remained an austere dwelling. He added a third story to the keep, providing another large, but unheated room. The floor joists (not restored) were set on a rebated wall. In the west tower, Maredudd provided an external stair (now gone) to give more convenient access to the upper floor. The 19th-century restoration concentrated on the keep. Floors, walls and battlements were recreated, together with a prominent series of projecting stone beams.
The first thing you should know about the site is Dolwyddelan, like most of the castles of the native Welsh princes, is set amidst spectacular scenery. The castle guards a mountain pass through the Vale of Conwy, and it's the beauty of the surrounding countryside that visitors first notice. First of all, if you ever find yourself around Conwy about to head south for Betws-y-Coed or Dolwyddelan Castle, do yourself a favor and skip the A470 in favor of the adjacent B5106, which will take you straight through the heart of the beautiful Vale of Conwy.
This is the Gwyder Valley which is guarded by Dolwydden Castle. A view from the Castle. |
 Lady Cerridwen near the boulders where the sacred documents were buried. |
We got back on the A470 at Betws-y-coed, and continued south for about 4 or 5 miles until we arrived at the castle. Before arriving at the castle we first went through the village of Dolwyddelan. There is a great castle pub sign in town. You must see it! Once out of town, you can see Dolwyddelan's keep standing majestically above the surrounding countryside. The castle and car park are on the right side of the road and there is ample parking. Chances are, you'll be greeted by one of the many sheep that keep watch over the castle. One such ambassador served as our guide in 1990, leading us all the way up to the visitors center, her "bleatings" announced our arrival. If you arrive in the morning, don't be surprised to see a few camp tents pitched conveniently on the side of the hill. There are wonderful walks all around Dolwyddelan, and the area is very popular with hikers. A castle, great walks, and a nearby, yet un-busy town make the area a great choice for a holiday.
Again, as is the case with other Welsh castles, be prepared for a bit of a hike to get to the castle, and if you have a problem with hiking around sheep, you may want to remain at the visitors center - high enough itself to offer some great vistas. But then again, if you do that, you'll be missing a spectacular survey of the surrounding countryside from the top of Dolwyddelan's keep, so I would recommend braving the sheep!
A View of the surrounding hills |
 View
of the parking lot from the Castle Keep. |
The square keep at Dolwyddelan is quite large and intact. There is a nice display on the history of the castle housed in the keep's main room with its large fireplace. To get to the top of the keep, climb the stairs from the display room and be prepared for some spectacular scenery. Even a gloomy day cannot diminish the majestic views Dolwyddelan offers from this vantage, and any disappointment at the scarcity of the ruins is quickly replaced by an appreciation of the strategic advantages the site offers and the incredible beauty all around. Generally, Welsh castles are a little more difficult to get to, but typically offer far more spectacular surroundings than Norman and Edward castles. You only have to visit a Dolwyddelan, Castell y Bere, Dinas Bran or Carreg Cennen to understand the difference, and you'll probably find yourself wanting to linger longer at these sites than most others. Dolwyddelan is quietly one of the most beautiful places to visit in this area of Wales. So next time you're in the Snowdonia Mountains, make sure you allow time for a side trip to Dolwyddelan Castle. It will be a Welsh castle experience you'll not soon forget!
SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK
We next visited one of the most scenic areas in Wales: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri ("Land of the Eagles"), the Welsh name for the 840 square miles that lie within the boundary of the Snowdonia National Park, tucked into Wales's northwest corner. It includes Snowdon itself, the "monstrous peak," as Daniel Defoe described it, at 3,560 feet the highest mountain south of the Scottish border, as well as 13 other summits that are more than 2,900 feet high. The park roughly covers the Medieval kingdom of Gwynedd, a military stronghold ruled by Owain Glyndwr, one of Wales's greatest heroes. It is a fascinating geographical site, studded with glaciated U-shaped valleys, lakes, razor-sharp mountain edges, and other legacies of its Ice Age torment. It is a Mecca for outdoorsmen, walkers, backpackers, climbers, pony trekkers, and white-water canoeists-but even the most sedate tourists will find the peaks, forests, lakes, raging streams, and undulating lowland scenery spectacular.It wasn't long before a quick-thinking entrepreneur established a restaurant, bar, and shop on Snowdon's summit. The Snowdon Mountain Railway, one of the steam-driven, narrow-gage "Great Little Trains of Wales," will take you on a 41/2-mile run from Llanberis almost to the top of the mountain at half-hour intervals throughout the summer. But it is actually much more pleasant to climb.
The easiest route is from Llanberis, 31/2 miles away from the base, while Dolgellau and Betws-y-Coed are excellent starting points for more challenging, spectacular walks through the park itself. It's no coincidence that it was here that Sir John Hunt's victorious Everest team of 1953 did their training; nor that 88 years earlier Edward Whymper chose the same region to prepare for his conquest of the Matterhorn. The best views of Snowdon are from the Llanberis Pass, where it is easy to pull off the road (if you don't mind appearing sedentary as teams of climbers scale the rocks). On the descent to to the wooded valley of Nant Gwynant, another site gives views westward over the shimmering lakes of Gwynant and Dinati. But the finest views of Snowdon are from the parking lot in the tiny village of Rhyd-Ddu, where you feel on top of the mountain, rather than overshadowed by it.
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DOLBADARN CASTLE
We next traveled from Llanberis to Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia National Park. But, on the way, we visited Dolbadarn castle. We understand that usually this area has a plethora of tourists stopping to see the castle, but fortunately this day there were few people to spoil our view. We were of course looking for another Welsh mystery.
(Lakes) Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris slice through this mountain range and create Llanberis Pass. We were amazed at the rugged beauty of the place. The only downside was the scar left by slate mining during the last century. This was a crossroads through North Wales during the early days of Wales.
We understand that many hundreds of tourists visit nearby Llanberis, ride on the narrow gauge railway to the top of Snowdonia or tour the large power plant and the adjoining lakes. We did see a large number of tourists or locals speed through the village as quickly as possible weaving to avoid us. Their passage was so brief that they failed to notice one of Wales' finest treasures: Dolbadarn Castle.
Dolbadarn Castle is approximately 80 feet above Lake Padarn, on the eastern side of the main road between Caernarfon and Snowdonia. It is a marvelous ruin, with a wonderful tower built by the Welsh princes of Gwynedd.The castle was built in the 13th century, and is in great condition. But it remains a shell of its former splendour. I was awed by the simplicity of its construction (I am a Landscape Architect) and wondered how it has endured all these centuries. I consider Dolbadarn one of the finest examples of Wales' native-built castles.
It was built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) sometime before 1230.
The dominant feature of the site is an impressive round tower, built of slate and rubble. This great keep encloses a surprisingly complex series of chambers and once rose three stories. Today, the tower reaches just 40 feet in the air and is 40 feet in diameter. Its walls are at least 8 feet thick. While it is a shell, it has several interesting features.
Dolbadarn's keep sits over the southeastern curtain wall, which encloses the rocky hill. Today, only the lowest foundations of the outer buildings survive, and no one knows what their function was.
The history of Dolbadarn Castle did not die with Llywelyn the Great in 1240. The castle was active another 40 plus years until Prince Llewelyn the Lasts' death.
Owain ap Gruffydd was imprissoned by Prince Llywelyn the Last during their struggles for control of North Wales in the 1250's. Owain spent 20 years as a prisoner living on the upper floor of the castle. During the Welsh princes' revolt against the Edward the First, (whose response was a ring of massive fortresses around the north), Dolbadarn Castle was held by another of Llywelyn's brothers, Dafydd ap Gruffydd. Unfortunately for the princes, the castle in the Llanberis Pass succumbed to the Earl of Pembroke, and in 1282 (the year of Llywelyn's death), Dolbadarn was seized by the English army. Within two years, the castle was abandoned, to be canibalized for its building stone and timber beams. When Owain Glyndwr led the Welsh uprisings around 1400, the keep was used to hold prisoners.
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