A ring of castles from east to west and a planned delivery date

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North Wales is both blessed and cursed by its string of castles stretching from Harlech in the west to Ewloe and Flint in the east. It's said that you only need to travel 20 miles between one castle and the next. We decided to put the theory to the test starting in the East with the ruined castles of Ewloe, Denbigh and Flint before moving to the much larger Rhuddlan Castle near Rhyl.

There are two styles of castle of which Ewloe and Caergwrle fall into the earlier category. They were built in the 12th century by Llewellyn ap Gruffydd as a defence against the English. Ewloe castle is set in Wepre Park. The park and open land rambles for some miles following the river which makes a pleasant place to walk when the weather is fine. Paths criss cross the park. The castle is hidden away from the childrens playing areas and in a somewhat quieter part of the park. Entrance is free which makes it a bit of a bonus in these cashed strapped times. Ewloe was one of the last fortifications built by the Princes of Wales before Wales was invaded by Edward I. Built in local stone it has rather romantic feel as it is covered now in ivy and grasses much of its stone plundered for local building work .. To the expert it is possible to work out its layout but much is left to the imagination. Sometimes that isn't a bad thing.

Our next castle was Flint which is one of the later castles built by Edward I to subjugate the Welsh This was the first of his series of castles built along the north wales coast . The river Dee lies to side of the castle and it isnt hard to imagine how busy the estuary must have been before it silted up. The castle is strategic lying close to the English border and the city of Chester . Again cared for by CADW the castle entry was free. Building work on the castle began in 1277. With its stone keep and donjon it echoed many of the French castles.

Further inland we carried on to Denbigh Castle set high on the hill above the tiny town. Built in the 13th centuiry by Edward as part of his iron ring. Denbigh apparently grew at the same time as the castle . In front of the castle is an impressive gateway and a parts of the walled town. The ruined tower of St Hilarys stands in the ground and was once used as church to serve the town. The whole complex is completed with the partially completed Leicesters Church built by Robert Dudley who aimed to move the bishopric of St Asaph to Denbigh. An impressive building which was started in 1578 and if it had been finished would have been impressive indeed.

A few miles up the coast and we arrive at Rhuddlan the most complete of the four castles visited. It was not free but had a charge to enter. It is though most interesting and worth the entrance fee. The castle was erected by Edward I in 1277 - his string of castles starting to march onward into Wales. This castle can be seen from the mainroad and forms an imposing backdrop to the small town of Rhuddlan. With defensive walls and dried up moat it is extremely photogenic. It lies not far from the River Clwyd and has extensive views across the marshes to the coastal town of Rhyl. Although much still stands a great deal was destroyed during the English Civil War.

An old blog talked about being virgins to motorhoming. Since then we have read blogs, visited aires, read magazines, attended two motor home shows - Birmingham and the show at Tabley. We have made lists and talked about trips. Time has gone exceedingly slowly with our expected pick up date sometime in March. Finally we had notification last week that our motor home would be arriving mid February. Panic as we have purchased very little for her. Partial retirement date is set for 5th March and within ten days we should be able to pick up Suzy Sundance.

Before that point we are going to need to sort out insurance for her. Shame I had to go and have an accident (my fault ) last September which will I am sure bump up the prices for us. We have priced up tracker systems , satellite dish prices and even prices for solar panels and will need to take her to be kitted out. At least we should be able to try her out whilst they are being fitted. We have got our ACSI book and have perused it from front to back more times than once. We have ordered and are waiting for our Camping Carnet. The bookshelf is groaning with All the Aires France, the italian version , Alan Rogers campsites and a few MMM's. We have been soaking in every fact we can find. We are becoming motorhome nerds without even trying. Stories of overwintering in Greece, Spain and Portugal sound interesting as we read them with the wind howling outside and the rain coming down like stair rods. The Tesco reward vouchers at the ready to pay for two return trips to Calais.

If all goes well we shall go over to Derby to a camping shop to price up all we need to kit her out. Mugs, cutlery, plates, fire blanket, first aid kits .......the list goes on and on. Funny how you start off small and we started with one piece of paper but gradually we added everything we might need to make her a home from home.

First foreign foray will be to Croatia . Although in the early stages of development we plan to be away for 30 days which is the most I can away from work. I am sure this will change but you have to have a plan and somewhere to start . Much use has been made of the campsite and aires books and Google Earth as the route starts to become clearer. Belgium through to Germany to avoid as many tolls as possible. Through Switzerland and Austria so two vignettes to be purchased nearer the departure date. Into Italy and Lake Garda for a week. The train will be used to go between our motorhome and the towns and cities we want to visit. Need to check if its possible to buy cheap train travel for us grey haired nomads. Then the route will go south toward Rome and the Villa D'Este and the gardens which we missed on our last trip. Across the country to Trieste before entering Croatia. After that who knows ..................I read a blog called the Worldsmylobster and totally agree with the sentiments. Our home can be where it takes us or where we choose it to be . ................counting the days until the adventure can begin.

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