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| Aber Falls, a nice stop for Caty and me |
The walk to the falls was a little taxing because it was cool, overcast and threatening rain when we started out, so we both had jackets on. As we climbed the slight incline, the sun came out and it got downright steamy. I had to stop and extract my jacket from under multiple camera straps. But, getting a little sweaty was so worth it.
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| The trail |
Aber Falls is near Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd, and is in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.
The falls plunge about 120 feet over a sill of igneous rock onto tumbled rocks below.
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| Approaching the falls |
According to what I read, it is possible to swim in the plunge pool of the falls, although the water is cold even at the height of summer. Of course, I wouldn't do it.
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| Too cold (and slippery) for me |
There is an option to extend this walk to visit a second waterfall, Rhaeadr Bach (“little waterfall” in Welsh). Rhaeadr Fawr, Aber’s Welsh name, means “big falls.” We didn’t have time to walk to the second falls, but we could see it around the bend
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| Rhaeadr Bach |
Not only are the falls beautiful, but ...
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| ... the surrounding land is green and lush ... |
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| ... except for a conservation clearcut hill just before the falls ... |
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| ...that was also grazing land for Sheep |
I am always looking for birds and ...
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| ... there were some in the trees (a European Robin) ... |
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| ... and on the falls (a Gray Wagtail) |
On the walk back, we took note of even more birds, spending quite a bit of time being buzzed by Swallows or House Martins flying too fast to ID ...
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| I did capture (kinda) a chick! |
... and watching Eurasian Blue Tits flying in and out of the gutters where they presumably had nests ...
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| Coming out of the nest |
Caty called these cute little birds “Mini-Blue Jays,” because their markings resemble our Jays.
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| An apt nickname |
Caty also spotted a bird that was a lifer for me ...
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| A Eurasian Nuthatch |
While we were watching and photographing the birds, we noticed that the fences were not made of wood. The planks and pickets were cut slate. It's plentiful in Wales, so why not? Carrying the planks to build the fences must have been quite chore.
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| Slate roof, bench and fence |
When we finally started back, we had really good views of a Common Buzzard ...
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| Common Buzzards look a lot like Red-tailed Hawks |
It turns out that it was was lovely all the way back to the carpark. It made for a long day, but, as I said, worth it.
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| Path over the creek heading to the carpark |
Anglesey
We spent a night on Anglesey, all the way across the Peninsula. I wanted to experience the wild Wales coast, but it didn’t work out that way.
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| We did get a few glimpses |
First, we spent too much time at Lowther and Aber Falls (Lowther was an add-on that I hadn’t originally planned for), so we got there fairly late. Second, it was windy and overcast when we arrived.We stayed at the Threaddur Hotel and Spa, which was lovely (or would have been had the weather been better).
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| Our hotel |
Our room was on the second (or maybe third floor), reached by walking upstairs and down a hallway with six fire doors and a few additional courses of stairs. We had to drag our luggage through what seemed like an obstacle course and it somehow amused me. See it here.
The hotel was actually lovely and we had dinner in the pub (there is also a nicer restaurant, but we weren’t that hungry). I had chips (AKA French fries) topped with pulled pork. It seems that the Welsh have mastered BBQ. Good for them!
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| A pleasantly nautical pub |
An island off the northwest coast, the Isle of Anglesey is sparsely populated, with an area of 276 square miles and a population of 68,900.
The English name for Anglesey may be derived from the Old Norse; the place name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and later adopted by the Normans during their invasions.
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| Anglesey; Source: Unknown |
Since we didn’t really explore the islands, I won’t share the history except to say it has been inhabited by Vikings, Romans, Druids, Normans, Saxons, Scots, Irish, English, Danish and Welsh peoples, among them some pirates.
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| Viking coins found in north Wales; Photo: Irish Archaeology |
Almost the whole coastline of Anglesey is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to protect the coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development.
Beaumaris Castle
The next morning we departed early to visit Beaumaris Castle (Welsh: Castell Biwmares), which was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. If the terms below are confusing, read my post on Welsh castles.
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| Me crossing over the moat; Photo: Caty Stevens |
Plans were probably first made to construct the Castle as early as 1284, but work began in 1295 following the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising. The chosen site was called Beaumaris, a Norman name meaning "fair marsh."
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| The marsh is now pasture |
To build the Castle, the Welsh population of Llanfaes was moved some 12 miles southwest, where the settlement of Newborough was created for them. The deportation of the local Welsh opened the way for the construction of a prosperous English town, protected by a substantial Castle.
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| The inner ward |
The Castle was positioned in one corner of the town. No town walls were constructed at first, despite some foundations being laid. A substantial workforce, with an average of 1,800 workmen, 450 stonemasons and 375 quarriers on the site, was employed in the initial years, but Edward's invasion of Scotland diverted funding from the project and work stopped, only recommencing after an invasion scare in 1306.
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| Internal buttresses |
When work finally ceased around 1330, the Castle remained incomplete. The inner walls and towers were only a fraction of their proper height and the north and northwest sides lacked outer defenses altogether.
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| Not well defended |
Beaumaris Castle was taken by Welsh forces in 1403 during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr, but recaptured by royal forces in 1405.
In March 1592, the Welsh Roman Catholic priest and martyr William Davies was imprisoned in the Castle and was eventually hanged, drawn and quartered there.
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| Now the residents are baby Eurasian Jackdaws and flowers |
Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the Castle was held by Royalist supporters of Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies.
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| The castle fell into ruin around 1660 |
Thomas Bulkeley, 7th Viscount Bulkeley, bought the Castle from the Crown in 1807, incorporating it into the park that surrounded his seat, Baron Hill. By then the castles of North Wales had become attractive locations for visiting painters and tourists, who considered the ivy-clad ruins romantic.
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| A romantic (moat-less) depiction from the 1800s; Source: Anglesey History |
Although not as popular as other sites in the region, Beaumaris formed part of this trend and was visited by the future Queen Victoria in 1832 for an Eisteddfod music festival.
In 1925, the Castle was placed into the care of the Commissioners of Works, who carried out a large-scale restoration program, stripping back the vegetation, digging out the moat and repairing the stonework. It is now a major tourist attraction.
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| Restored, but still ruins |
The fortification is built of local stone, with a moated outer ward guarded by twelve towers and two gatehouses, overlooked by an inner ward with two large, D-shaped gatehouses and six massive towers. It has a concentric in plan, with walls within walls.
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| The quintessential moated castle |
The main entrance to Beaumaris was the “Gate Next the Sea” by the castle's tidal dock that allowed it to be supplied directly by sea.
The dock was protected by a wall later named the Gunners Walk and a firing platform that may have housed a trebuchet siege engine during the medieval period.
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| Trebuchet siege engine; illustration: Science Photo Gallery |
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| Caty looking through an arrow slit |
The gate led into an outer barbican, protected by a drawbridge, arrow slits and murder-holes. That led into the outer ward, which consisted of an eight-sided curtain wall with twelve turrets enclosing an area 60 feet across. One side led to the Gate next the Sea. The other, the Llanfaes Gate, led to the north side of the Castle.
The defenses were originally equipped with 300 firing positions for archers, including 164 arrow slits, although 64 slits close to ground level have since been blocked in to prevent them being exploited by attackers, either in the early 15th century or during the Civil War.
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| The castle could be supplied from the sea |
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| Gates to the interior |
The outer gate had an innovation for its time: it was non-aligned with the inner gate, so an intruder would be forced to transverse an open area on a predictable rightward path to reach the inner gate, exposed to intense defensive attacks the entire distance.
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| Inside the castle |
The walls of the inner ward were more substantial than those of the outer ward: 36 feet high and 15.5 feet thick, with huge towers and two large gatehouses, enclosing a 0.75-acre area.
The inner ward was intended to hold the Castle’s domestic buildings, stretching along the west and east sides.
Some of the remains of the fireplaces for these buildings can still be seen in the stonework. It is uncertain if these ranges were actually ever built. If finished, the Castle would have been able to host two substantial households and their followers.
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| You can see where floor belonged |
The D-shaped north gatehouse in the inner ward was intended to be two stories high, with two sets of five large windows. It would have included a large hall on the first floor, around 70 by 25 feet across, divided into two rooms with separate fireplaces for heating. Only one floor was actually completed.
The south gatehouse was designed to be a replica of the one on the north side, but little was done before work on the Castle ceased.
Some of the gatehouse's stones may since have been removed, further reducing its height.
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| Looking over the wall to the village |
The walls of the inner ward contain extensive first floor passageways. These were intended to allow residents of the Castle to move between the towers, accessing the guardrooms, sleeping chambers and the castle latrines. The latrines were designed to be drained by a special system using the water from the moat, but the system does not appear to have worked. The six towers were intended to be three stories high and contained fireplaces. The Castle chapel in one of the towers would have been used by the king and his family.
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| This was my favorite Castle exterior |
Trip date: June 6 - 20, 2024
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