Leaving The Cathedrals Behind

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…And Exchanging Them For Castles Instead

From Gloucester it’s only a short trip to Wales and it’s capital, Cardiff. Made famous for it’s port facilities back in the 19th Century when most of the world was using Welsh coal, the majority of the city was then owned by the Bute family, who were the largest miners and exporters of coal in the area. Because they owned the docks, the castle and most of the town, they set about making Cardiff one of the more appealing places to live.

Cardiff Castle dates back a lot further then the Bute family though. Originally thought to be a Norman castle with walls and battlements and a keep, during excavations of the site in the 1900’s it was discovered that the Norman walls were built on top of existing walls dating back to Roman times in the 1st Century. After the Romans left (and with a few Centuries in between), the Normans built the majority of what is seen today. When the Bute family inherited it, (the first Marques of Bute, being Scottish, married into the Welsh family and therefore gained all it’s land and titles) the third Marques decided that the castle needed more accommodations for the family to entertain. He enlisted the help of an architect/artist by the name of William Burges and set about building a residence that complimented the castle style but also had gothic characteristics and Middle Eastern influences as well as remodelling the grounds in front of the keep. The result is a building that is remarkable from the outside but stunning from the inside. As the richest man in the world at the time, and more money then he knew what to do with, Burges was given free reign on the design of the rooms, creating themes throughout such as an Arab room with gold leaf all over the ceiling, a Time room with everything from the four seasons to the days of the week to the rise and fall of the sun included, to a Banquet Hall telling the history of the Bute family and a Nursery with children’s stories and fables flowing around the walls. A fascinating way to spend the afternoon and I left with the impression that this was a castle with a bit of a mix of everything.

The next morning, I teamed up with a Canadian, Brandon, to take in the surrounding countryside and another couple of castles on the way. First off… Castell Coch, the fairytale castle restored and remodelled by the third Marques of Bute and William Burges again, to be a rural retreat from Cardiff. No expense was spared, with lavish furnishings and dazzling ceilings inside a three towered keep surrounding a courtyard with portcullis and drawbridge.

When leaving Castell Coch, we realised we had four minutes to make our way back to the bus stop to get to the next castle. My advice….. running in the rain, down a hill is not my idea of fun. We reached the road that the bus travels along just as it passed and decided that we weren’t going to sit there for an hour waiting for the next one. Heading in the general direction of Caerphilly, we headed off on a little path that meandered through some amazing forests and streams. Seeing a sign telling us we were heading in the right direction and that it was only four kilometres was a bit of good fortune. It wasn’t until we had been walking for an hour we realised that it was miles, not kilometres, but we persevered. Reaching the edge of Caerphilly, we could see the castle in the distance. Disheartening to realise that it was a further couple of kilometres on top of the seven or so we had already walked in the rain. By the time we got there, the thought of stairs inside the castle made us ill.

Caerphilly Castle has not been completely renovated and reconstructed. In my mind, that’s a good thing. Although Castell Coch was nice, Caerphilly Castle gives the idea of what a real castle is al about. Second only in size to Windsor Castle, it is the biggest in Wales and one of the biggest in all Europe. Situated on thirty acres and comprising of three moats before you even get in to the main castle, this place is huge. Wandering around the old, falling walls and broken towers that lean more than Pisa, you can see why this place had never been conquered. If I’d have come over the hills to see that, I’d have packed up and gone home, no matter who was ordering me to try and take it. They also have four types of siege engines on display, a ballista, mangonel, trebuchet and catapult, that all look like they’re in working order and could still do some serious damage. This castle was definitely a highlight for me and may even have been worth the hike in the rain.

"The time to enjoy a European trip is about three weeks aftr unpacking." - George Ade

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